FROM their rumoured choice of godparents, to eschewing the traditional venue at Buckingham Palace, when it comes to the christening of their first son George Alexander Louis, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appear determined to carve their own path.
When the service takes place on Wednesday it won't be in the music room at Buckingham Palace where the Queen's three eldest children were all christened, but rather the smaller Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. The intimate guest list has raised eyebrows with some key members of the royal family, including the Princess Royal, left off.
Then there is the choice of godparents, including financier Fergus Boyd - who was sitting next to William when he whispered "Wow, Kate's hot" at a St Andrews University fashion show in 2002 - and interior designer Emilia d'Erlanger, a school friend of Kate.
Their selection has prompted a few wrinkled noses at "unexpected, off-the-wall" candidates for the role. While Prince Harry and Kate's sister Pippa, she of famously pert bottom, are said to be in the running too, the couple's emphasis is on friends out of the public eye in the hope of giving their son a sense of normality as he grows up. It is a world away from the godparents chosen for William, most of whom had royal connections including Constantine II, the former King of Greece, and Princess Alexandra, a cousin to the Queen.
It's perhaps not surprising the couple crave to give their son, third in line to the throne, some respite from the spotlight. Prince George was last month named as the most influential person in London, beating Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor Boris Johnson to the top of the Power 1000 list.
But William and Kate won't break entirely from tradition with the 45-minute ceremony set to be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, and the Royal Mint issuing a set of coins to commemorate the occasion.
A replica of the lace and satin gown made for Queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841 will be worn by Prince George on the day. A Scottish connection to the gown has only newly emerged with Janet Sutherland, a dressmaker who worked from her front room in Falkirk, revealed as its creator.
It is now extremely fragile with a replica made by Angela Kelly, the Queen's dressmaker, having been used since 2008.
The photographer who will capture proceedings for posterity is set to be announced tomorrow with Jason Bell, who has shot portraits of David Beckham, Scarlett Johansson and Sir Paul McCartney, tipped as a frontrunner.
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