Prince Harry has made it known to several people that he aims to have Lilibet Diana christened at Windsor Castle.
But after the news that Prince Harry is releasing a book, royal experts claimed that his daughter Lilibet may not be christened at Windsor Castle.
It has been revealed that the Duke of Sussex will release his memoir in late 2022, timed for release in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year.
“Prince Harry is writing a memoir,” Royal author Robert Jobson wrote on Twitter. “The script will be handed in in October.”
“It will be published by Random House,” Jobson continued. “I’d say the Windsor Christening of “Lilibet” with the Queen present might well be off! Unless “H” intends to combine it with a book signing tour of the UK that is …”
Meanwhile, royal expert Phil Dampier told The Sun‘s Fabulous that ‘these reports that he wants Lilibet to be christened over here with the Queen being present, I would have thought this is making that less and less likely.’
“The timing couldn’t be worse,” Dampier told The Sun. “If Harry was trying to heal the rift with his family, he would appreciate that the next year should be really concentrated on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”
“So the timing couldn’t be worse,” Dampier continued. “To have that in the same year as that is disrespectful.”
The news comes after Prince Harry announced his new book to be published by Random House.
“I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man, I have become,” Harry revealed. “I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story – the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned.”
“I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think,” the Duke said.
Harry also said that he feels “deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned over the course of my life so far”.
The Duke of Sussex delivered the announcement on the first day in 15 months that Clarence House declared Charles and Camilla were on a public engagement.
The Sun broke the news to Clarence House’s aides while Charles was at a reception in Lostwithiel, Cornwall. Reports claim that Prince Charles was “surprised” by Harry’s explosive tell-all memoir as Palace officials had no idea about the book.
A spokesman for Prince Harry said he told his family including the Queen about the book recently. However, an insider said that ‘Harry scrambled to contact his family only when he knew the story was coming out — just moments before it became public.’
The book ignited divided reactions and some royal fans fear it will burn bridges even more between Harry and his family.
A royal source said that Prince Harry and Meghan want a royal christening for their baby, Lilibet, held in the presence of the Queen at Windsor.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s son Archie was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, in July 2019.
The christening was totally a private affair and was attended by just 25 guests, which did not include the Queen, according to the couple’s unauthorized biography Finding Freedom.
The couple’s intentions are said to have been made clear during Prince Harry’s visit to the UK for the unveiling of Princess Diana’s statue earlier this month.
“Harry told several people that they want to have Lili christened at Windsor, just like her brother,” a royal source tells Eden Confidential. “They are happy to wait until circumstances allow.”
It would be Meghan’s first visit to Britain since last year’s Megxit where the couple quit their royal duties.
However, six weeks after Lili’s birth, she has not yet been given the eighth place in the line of succession, according to the official royal website.
It’s assumed that the list will not be updated until after the christening. Lili would bump the Queen’s second son, Prince Andrew, into ninth place.
Lili will not join the list if she is not yet baptized as a Roman Catholic, as they are specifically excluded from succession to the throne.
Earlier this month, Prince Harry and Prince William stood side-by-side at the unveiling of their mother’s statue at Kensington Palace. But relations between the Sussexes and the rest of the Royal Family are tensed after their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in March.