Princess Eugenie gives unprecedented glimpse at son Ernest’s very private christening

Princess Eugenie marked Mother’s Day on Sunday with a series of personal photographs, including a previously unseen snap from her youngest son Ernest Brooksbank’s royal christening.

It’s not known when or where the ceremony took place but it’s likely that it took place before the tot’s first birthday in May 2024.

The third image on Eugenie’s Instagram post showed little Ernest sitting on his smiling mother’s lap and dressed in what appeared to be the traditional Honiton lace christening gown.

Eugenie, dressed in a knitted dress from Reiss and an Emily London headband, was also joined by her proud mother, Sarah, Duchess of York for the family photo.

While little is known about Ernest’s christening, Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank’s eldest son, August, now four, was baptised alongside his second cousin, Lucas (Mike and Zara Tindall’s youngest child), at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor in November 2021.

August and Lucas were born just six weeks apart in February and March 2021 respectively.

Eugenie’s son, who was nine months old at the time of the ceremony, was seen wearing the royal family’s traditional gown – as confirmed in a snap shared by the Princess on Instagram at the end of 2021.

The late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, were among the guests at the double royal christening.

Royal christening gown

Today’s christening gown used by the royal family is actually a replica of the original Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace one made in 1841 for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter. It was worn by 62 royal babies in total, including the current Queen.

It was last used in 2004 for the christening of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s daughter, Lady Louise Windsor. Queen Elizabeth II deemed the garment too fragile for continued use and commissioned  her personal wardrobe advisor, Angela Kelly, to recreate the original gown.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s son, James, Earl of Wessex, was the first royal baby to wear the replica in April 2008.

Ernest, who turns two in May, is thought to be the last member of the royal family to have worn the gown.

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed their second daughter, Athena, in January and the tot is likely to be the next baby to be given the honour to wear the family heirloom when she is christened.