5 things we know about Prince Gabriel's christening
There's one month to go until the newest royal in Europe stars in the first big official event of his young life. Prince Gabriel of Sweden will be christened on December 1st 2017 and the Swedish Royal Household has already let us know plenty about the day. As with Gabriel's cousins, there is a special page all about the baptism. And just to make us all smile, it now boasts a brand new, super cute photo of the second son of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia. So let's look ahead to December and get all excited as we count down five things we now know about the christening of Gabriel Carl Walther of Sweden.
1. The officiants
The Swedish Royal Household today announced that the christening will be conducted by Archbishop Emeritus Anders Wejryd who was in charge at the marriage of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel back in 2010. Assisting will be Bishop Johan Dalman and Chaplain Michael Bjerkhagen who were both involved in the baptism of Gabriel's big brother, Prince Alexander, in September 2016.
2. The location
As already announced, the baptism will take place at Drottningholm Palace Church, a pretty special location for his family. For it was here that big brother, Alexander, was christened. In fact, it's been a busy time for baptisms here in recent years as both of Princess Madeleine's children were christened here - Leonore in 2014 and Nicolas in 2015. And the whole Swedish Royal Family will no doubt be back in 2018 as Madeleine's third baby is due in March next year.
3. The timetable
Prince Gabriel will be christened at 12 noon local time on Friday 1st December with guests arriving from 11am that day. During the service, the baby prince will also receive the Order of the Seraphim from his proud granddad, King Carl XVI Gustaf. The whole baptism is a relatively short ceremony as the reception following the service is due to start at Drottningholm Palace at 1pm and in between expect some photos of Carl Philip, Sofia and their two boys outside the Chapel.
4. The traditions
Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna will only just have turned three months old when he's christened (he was born on August 31st 2017 at Danderyd Hospital) but he's got centuries of royal traditions to deal with as he makes his official debut. The baby prince will wear the royal christening gown first used for his great grandfather, Prince Gustav Adolf, in 1906 and worn by royal babies since. Gabriel's name and the date of his christening will be embroidered in the cap that was added to the baptism set in 1935. He will be baptised at the same font - a true work of art made in the late 17th century and added to by Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden in 1728. The water will come from a spring in Oland - a tradition started by his grandparents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. And as his mum and dad meet and greet their guests, little Gabriel will terrify the life out of them by balancing precariously in a golden cradle made for King Karl XV in 1826.
5. The godparents
Got you there....we still don't know who will stand sponsor to baby Gabriel on his big day but five is the usual number of godparents for a Swedish royal baby and just about everyone expects mama in waiting Madeleine to be on the list as Victoria did the honours for Prince Alexander. Princess Sofia's sister, Lina, is another of Alex's godmothers so the smart money is on their other sibling, Sara, doing the same for Gabriel. Those details will be revealed nearer the date but we already know that Prince Gabriel, that cheeky looking little Duke of Dalarna, has a right royal occasion coming up.
Photo kungahuset.se
