Royal Christening

I like a bit of vintage and it is very on trend, so maybe we will see a fashion for second hand baby equipment and clothes rather than spending tons on new stuff. My DC had their cousin's nappies and cot and a pram from a friend and a bath bought from a neighbour.

Well, we are oiks and proud of it, but dressed the offspring traditionally for christenings. A long embroidered white gown and bonnet for the baby in question (even DS wore them - I'm nothing if not thrifty, we just christened him quickly ), and lovely smocked frocks for the big sisters. All made by me. They spent the rest of their childhoods dressed as badly as any other 80s children, legwarmers, ear muffs, shellsuits and all.

absent

I wish I'd thought of that one.

merlotgran Did you mean your mum or the late Princess of Wales? (Presumably the former as I doubt if the latter had ever heard of Bertolt Brecht.)

Royal children have always dressed in this way for formal occasions, you can tell they are quality clothes and it allows them to stand out from the oiks.

Nice to see the Royal Family are into recycling! Those big coach prams are much more comfortable for babies than the modern travel systems, I think. When I look back at the photos of how my young children were dressed as toddlers in 70s, they look so dated now. I thought the classic outfit George was wearing looked much nicer.

As for Kate, all I could think of was, how on earth did she get that figure back so quickly!?.

Crumbs, I'm glad I didn't have to read anyone views about what I did and didn't do right when I had my children christened . As for how they dress their child, I would have said the outfit was a classic one for a little boy. I loved seeing the pram as it brought back memories of my own Silver Cross which was the best investment I could have had - my PILs gave it to us when we had my DD. I didn't have a car - few families had two at this point and I could walk miles with it. I cannot imagine doing that with the modern pram/pushchair/ which always seem unbalanced to me.

I remember pushing my sister (b.1953) in a lovely Silver Cross pram similar to Princess Charlotte's. I think my Mum bought it second hand. It had a little cubby hole underneath the mattress for bits and pieces. I wish I had had one for my children, so comfortable for the baby.

According to what I read somewhere this is pram they have chosen for everyday use

I think your comment was cattier than anything I have said on here dorsetpent.

I wonder if George will ever be allowed a Spiderman Tshirt?

I don't think the Royals 'do' buggies.I didn't see the christening as I have no real interest in it, but I believe this dressing in days of yore style is very much the vogue for the upper classes as it suggests they have been handed down like the furniture and don't need to be 'bought'.

I wanted a lovely bright red pram from Mother Care in the 70's. What did I get ? a Marmet second hand pram. I was furious and upset. Hubby enjoyed cleaning it up and fixing it. Hard to push after a Caesar! It did however keep my daughter warm and cosy and I eventually got a red pushchair.

I had a pram like that, I bought it second hand in 1976. The suspension was great and when stepping off a kerb the baby bounced rather then bump. I could stack a weeks shop in the bottom of the pram and had a special seat for a toddler. I bought an awning to shelter the baby on hot summer days. He was warm in the winter as he was insulated from the cold. Only drawback was the fact you couldn't get on a bus. But I don't remember that bothering me as we walked everywhere. Prince George's outfit may seem old fashioned but better that the the awful outfits the Kardashian kid wears. Thought Kate looked great. Gosh Jingle as usual one catty comment after another.

George, like his parents, has a 'working' wardrobe....off duty he wears more sensible stuff! Bless 'im.

I live near Sandringham and my guess is, that the Norland Nanny wheeled the pram up to the church and the family came by car. In doing so, she would have looked the part, but Kate, in her up-to-the minute gear looked totally unmatched, somehow! Pristine and bride-like, but beautiful.
(Her very white whiteness is not something I ever thought wearable when I had two children)!!

If Mum was still alive she would have taken one look at Kate pushing the pram up a muddy slope and muttered, 'Mother Courage and her Children'

There was a photo of George at a polo match wearing 'normal' little boy clothes and crocs with no socks , so perhaps he just has to wear the retro stuff for official occasions.

Prince George is certainly very cute, but I don't know what they are thinking dressing him in identical clothes to his father at the same age on two occasions at least now. It would have been lovely to see him dressed in some smart modern children's clothing. As for that pram......words fail me. Why on earth would the Duchess of Cambridge want to struggle pushing such an old thing around on a gravel path, wearing stilettos. It was apparently used for Princes Andrew and Edward.

The Queen looked lovely and so did Catherine, but although very elegant, she did look much older than her years dressed like that. Maybe it was the hair in a bun, rather than the clothes. They are usually a modern couple who do things their way but this could have been a picture taken in the fifties.

As a "foreigner" of 50 years, I am amused to see that poor little Prince George is being dressed like his grandfather! Don't get me wrong, I think the ROwyal family does a sterling job, and I would hate to see President and Mrs Tony Blair!!!

The Duchess looked pretty silly pushing her pram in these ridiculous heels, she would have done better to carry her baby the 100yds or so - we all have, haven't we? aother than that? not a bad showing. Bless 'em all.

Possibly because they wanted to? Their child, their christening...why not?

The Norland uniform is something else isn't it?

I noticed the nanny wore casual clothes when they went to Australia so why, as someone said earlier on here, did they have to re-create an image of the fifties for the christening?

Surely showing off your Norland Nanny is considered a bit 'nouveau riche?'

I can just imagine Princess Anne having a quiet snigger.

I nearly became a Norland Nanny, I had a place at the college and everything! Then I decided staying in London was going to be more fun than going to Bath and I would not have to wear the frumpy clothes at TT college!

It was a very upper-crust, Harrods type outfit akin to the velvet collared coat and one strap button shoes he has been seen in previously as have his Father and Grandfather before him. At least the buttons kept the smocked 'blouse' fixed to the knickers! He could hardly have been kitted out in M&S could he? Or maybe he could...... I read that the perambulator had been used by the Queen so it was an all traditional day. I quite like a bit of tradition now and again {sighs}

Could it be that they are the same clothes? Some people hang onto things. Mil gave me DH's silk christening socks for our children!

"So why make him look like and ordinary little boy?"

For his future self respect? can you imagine the cringes when, as a teenager, he sees what they did to him? Poor little lad.