{"id":140812,"date":"2025-10-23T15:34:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T15:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/140812\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T15:34:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T15:34:11","slug":"kate-middleton-broke-royal-tradition-with-surprise-prince-george-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/140812\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Middleton broke royal tradition with surprise Prince George decision"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When the future king was christened in 2013, the Prince and Princess of Wales broke from royal protocol in a big way when deciding who would be Prince George\u2019s godparents<\/p>\n<p>10:45, 23 Oct 2025Updated 10:46, 23 Oct 2025<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_HRH-Prince-George-Of-Cambridge-Is-Christened-At-St-James-Palace.jpg\" alt=\"Prince George was christened three months after his birth in 2013\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>Prince George was christened three months after his birth in 2013(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">When <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/prince-william\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Prince William<\/a> and <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/kate-middleton\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Princess Kate<\/a> gave birth to their first child, Prince George, in 2013, royal fans and commentators alike were elated at the arrival of a new future king.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">Just three months after his birth, the young prince was christened on this day 12 years ago in the Chapel Royal at St James&#8217; Palace, with the historic event marking the first time in nearly 120 years that four generations of the <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/royals\/\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">royal family<\/a> &#8216;s line of succession had been pictured together. <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/prince-george\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Prince George<\/a> was on his best behaviour at his christening, according to royal author Valentine Low, as he was dressed in a handmade replica of the christening robe worn by Queen Victoria&#8217;s daughter.<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/royals\/inside-prince-andrews-crumbling-decaying-36117740\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36117740\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Inside Prince Andrew&#8217;s crumbling and decaying Royal Lodge estate as pressure mounts<\/a>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/royals\/sarah-ferguson-brink-breakdown-after-36118550\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36118550\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sarah Ferguson on &#8216;brink of breakdown&#8217; after daughters hit with scandalous claims<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_Britain-Royals-VE-Day-25125538771926.jpg\" alt=\"Prince William and Princess Kate with their eldest son, Prince George\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Prince William and Princess Kate with their eldest son, Prince George(Image: AP)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">In keeping with royal tradition, the young Prince was christened using the ornate 175-year-old historic Lily Font, while water from the River Jordan was also used during the ceremony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">Despite William and Kate opting to keep with many royal traditions on the important day, they broke from one major protocol when deciding who would be George\u2019s godparents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">As Mr Lowe explained in his book Courtiers: \u201cIt was, in many respects, a very traditional royal christening.\u201d However, when only one member of the royal family was chosen to be one of the young prince&#8217;s seven godparents, it \u201crepresented something of a break with tradition\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">Historically, royal children were bestowed with strictly royal godparents, some of whom were blood relatives. However, young Prince George was to be quite the exception, marking the beginning of a modern era in the Firm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">Only one member of the royal family made the cut as one of George\u2019s godparents: William\u2019s cousin Zara Tindall, who does not have a royal title. William and Zara, who were born just 13 months apart, always shared a special relationship, which formed early in their childhood, making her an obvious choice to be one of George\u2019s godparents.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_Review-of-the-Year-2013.jpg\" alt=\"Prince George at three months old\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Prince George&#8217;s christening marked a huge change in royal tradition(Image: PA)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">In a Channel 5 documentary titled Zara &amp; Anne: Like Mother Like Daughter, royal commentator Victoria Arbiter said: \u201cFor William in particular, trust is everything so when you&#8217;ve got a cousin that understands what it is to be a member of the royal family, but they don&#8217;t have the same pressures associated with it, they can be a tower of strength and support.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">In a stark contrast to decades of royal tradition, Zara was not joined by any other members of the Firm when Kate and William carefully selected their young son&#8217;s new godparents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">Instead, she was joined by six of Kate and William&#8217;s close friends and family members, including Oliver Baker, Hugh Grosvenor &#8211; the Duke of Westminster, Emilia Jardine-Paterson, Julia Samuels and William van Custem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">William and Kate continued the trend of choosing close friends and family members without royal titles as their children\u2019s godparents when Princess Charlotte was born in 2015. Her godparents are William\u2019s childhood friend Thomas van Straubenzee, William\u2019s former Eton classmate James Meade, William\u2019s cousin Lady Jane Fellowes, Kate\u2019s cousin Adam Middleton, and Kate\u2019s childhood friend Sophie Carter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">Prince Louis\u2019 godparents are William\u2019s friends Nicholas van Cutsem, Guy Pelly and Harry Aubrey-Fletcher, William\u2019s cousin Lady Laura Meade, Kate\u2019s friend Hannah Carter and Kate\u2019s cousin Lucy Middleton.<\/p>\n<p>Get the inside scoop on the monarchy with Mirror Royal<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">WHATSAPP GROUP: <\/strong>Be first to get the biggest royal bombshells and exclusives to your phone by joining our <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/crnch.it\/rH4Y3Drf\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Royal WhatsApp here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. 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