Prince George’s christening

When three-month-old Prince George was christened today, the ceremony steeped in British tradition was more than a private family celebration of its latest addition. The christening of the third in line to the throne in a small London chapel was also another signal that the once-fusty House of Windsor is determined to mould a more modern image of the monarchy, including how George's father, Prince William, may focus on a lower-key approach to royal life.

George — formally known as Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge — is now part of the "magical group of eight," which includes his great-grandmother, the Queen, her husband Prince Philip, grandfather Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, Kate and William and William’s brother Prince Harry

30-minute christening ceremony was billed as private — no live TV feed from inside the chapel as was the case with William and Kate’s Westminster Abbey wedding in 2011. A few new pictures — of a more official and professional nature — are expected later today or this week.

"The fact that there’s not going to be very much pomp and ceremony indicates that it’s going to be a christening for this day and age," says author Penny Junor, whose 2012 biography Prince William Born to be King, has recently been updated.

The godparents include Oliver Baker, a university friend; Emilia Jardine-Paterson, Kate's secondary school friend; Earl Hugh Grosvenor; Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who served as Will and Kate's private secretary; Julia Samuel, a close friend of William's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales; Zara Tindall, Will's cousin and daughter of Princess Anne; and William van Cutsem, Will's childhood friend.

CBC