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| Marlene A Eilers Koenig collection |
October 10, 1935
Buckingham Palace announced on November 14 that the christening of the Duke and Duchess of Kent's son on November 20 "will be entirely private." The guest list was limited to members of the Royal Family and "those intimately connected with the Duke and Duchess of Kent.
The baptismal ceremony took place in Buckingham Palace's Private Chapel. The infant Prince was given the names Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick. The Archbishop of Canterbury was officiant, and was assisted by Prebendary L. J. Percival, the King's Domestic Chaplain.
Prince Edward's sponsors were King George V, Queen Mary, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, Field Marshal the Duke of Connaught (represented by his son, Prince Arthur of Connaught, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, and Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark.
The Duke and Duchess of Kent, Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and Princess Arthur of Connaught attended the baptismal ceremony.
The Duchess of Kent's domestic staff, who were given special invitations," sat in the balcony.
The chapel was decorated with white chrysanthemums and roses. The gold Lily Font, made in 1840 for the baptism of Queen Victoria's first child, Princess Victoria, was placed in the center of the chapel, in front of the communion rails. Water brought from the River Jordan was used for the ceremony.
Prince Edward was carried into the chapel by his nurse, Miss Louie Roberts. He was dressed in "the christening robe of old Brussels lace and cream satin," first worn by Princess Victoria in 1840.
A reception in one of Buckingham Palace's State rooms was held after the ceremony, where a "two-tiered cake of white ice, surmounted by a stork holding a baby in its beak." The cake was a present from Queen Mary to the Duchess of Kent
Later, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, with their son, were driven to their home, 3 Belgrave Square, "amid cheers of a big crowd which had waited in the rain."
HRH Prince Edward of Kent is King George V's fifth grandchild. The Princess Royal has two sons, Viscount Lascelles and the Hon. Gerald Lascelles. The Duke of York is the father of two daughters, HRH Princess Elizabeth of York and Princess Margaret of York. The Duke and Duchess of York did not attend the christening as they had previously scheduled engagements.
The infant prince is seventh in line to the throne after the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent.
The Duke of Kent, the youngest surviving son of King George V and Queen Mary, married Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark on November 29, 1934. She is the third and youngest daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia.
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