Baby Archie‘s christening is just around the corner!
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s son, born on May 6, will have his christening on Saturday, July 6.
Archie’s big milestone will unfold in Queen Elizabeth’s private chapel at Windsor Castle — a location the new parents chose because they “wanted an intimate, peaceful setting in a place with such a special connection to Her Majesty,” a royal source tells PEOPLE. And the Duke and Duchess of Sussex won’t have to travel far from their Frogmore Cottage home, also on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The gathering will be attended by around 25 close family members and friends, with photos to be released the next day. Royal christenings are typically private, with only close family, friends and godparents in attendance.
“This is a beautiful milestone and they are excited to share it as a family first and then with the world,” says the source.
The private chapel is a deeply personal spot in Windsor Castle for the royal family. The room was created for Queen Victoria between 1840 and 1847. It was destroyed by the catastrophic Windsor fire in 1992 and rebuilt with modern updates in 1994.
The larger St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle was the site of Meghan and Harry’s May 2018 wedding. Prince Harry was also christened there in 1984.
The timing follows closely to the christenings of Kate Middleton and Prince William‘s three children — Archie’s big cousins.
Prince George’s christening occurred in late October (more than three months after he was born) at the Chapel Royal in London’s St. James’s Palace. Princess Charlotte‘s was held two months after her birth at the St. Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk, on the grounds of the Queen’s Sandringham estate — and very close to William and Kate’s country home, Anmer Hall.
Prince Louis was christened at the same place as his older brother in July 2018, about three months after his world debut.
However, the most recent royal christening was that of Zara and Mike Tindall’s second daughter, Lena Elizabeth. Meghan, who was pregnant at the time, and Harry attended the service in March. Lena’s christening came a full nine months after her birth.
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Although Harry skipped taking a formal paternity leave — he has made several appearances in the weeks since welcoming son Archie, including a short trip to the Netherlands to launch the countdown to the 2020 Invictus Games and a visit to Rome, where he played in a charity polo match — Meghan has been staying out of the spotlight to focus on motherhood.
After a photo op two days after Archie’s birth as a new family of three, Meghan and Harry made their first joint appearance as parents at Trooping the Colour in early June. The couple were all smiles as they arrived to the Trooping celebrations in the same carriage as Kate and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
The new parents also shared a glimpse of their son on Father’s Day, posting an Instagram photo of Archie peering at the camera from the arms of Prince Harry.
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