Have Meghan and Harry broken the rules when it comes to naming Archie's godparents?
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is set to be christened on Saturday 6 July.
The service will take place in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle and names of the baby’s godparents will not be made public.
A statement from Buckingham Palace read: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex look forward to sharing some images taken on the day by photographer Chris Allerton.
“The godparents, in keeping with their wishes, will remain private.”
It’s possible that the information may be released in due course, as the Church of England dictates under the Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978 that “a register book of public and private baptisms shall be provided for every parish,” and these records can be accessed by anyone who is willing to pay the £30 fee.
The Daily Express’ royal correspondent Richard Palmer wrote that Harry and Meghan could be in breach of the legal requirement to identify the godparent’s’ names.
He added: “After consulting its lawyers the Church said the law did apply but the Royal Family has always ignored it.”
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“However the register to be used in this case is held privately by the Royal Household on behalf of the Crown and we understand that it has never complied with the usual requirement.”
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) July 5, 2019
As the Queen is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she could make the Private Chapel a Royal Peculiar. This means it would be exempt from the jurisdiction of the diocese which would enable details of the christening to remain private.
Among the names widely tipped to be chosen as godparents were tennis star Serena Williams, Meghan’s close friend Jessica Mulroney, George and Amal Clooney and Prince Harry’s cousins Zara Tindall and Princess Eugenie.
But it’s believed that none of Harry and Meghan’s high profile friends have been chosen.
READ MORE: Serena Williams isn't going to baby Archie's christening
Serena Williams said she isn’t going to Archie’s christening, when asked at a press conference after her victory against Kaja Juvan in the second round at Wimbledon.
The Duchess of Sussex made a surprise appearance at the tennis tournament to watch the match on court one.
ITV’s Royal Editor Chris Ship tweeted: “The godparents, I’m told are not public figures or celebrities, but private citizens. And therefore both they, and Harry and Meghan, don’t wish their names to be made public.”
While royal christenings have always remained private, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have allowed the media to capture their arrival with all three of their children.
Prince Harry’s cousin Zara Tindall and her husband Mike also decided to keep the names of the godparents of their children Mia, five, and one-year-old Lena private, when they were baptised.
