What is it with the Windsors?

Who's Uncle Gary?

Good point, tegan. The royals are among the more preferable of the celebs.

Iam64 I agree, the royal family have had more than their fair share of dodgy relatives over the years. They are no better than any one else. Even in fairly recent history they have cast out relatives for daring to love the 'wrong' person and hidden away those with disabilities. They are happy to court publicity when it puts them in a good light but then want to be 'private' . They seem be becoming more and more of a soap opera every day.

absent - other than the obvious constant media attention, and never being short of cash, I wonder how different the royal family are in 'pretending to live a normal life', than the rest of us are. Nightowl is spot on about Uncle Gary, but I suspect the Queen has been living with dodgy relatives for much of her life. There's Andrew and his dodgy pals, Edward and internet gossip, her sister Margaret's lifestyle, the list is endless. It's my firm belief that Helen Mirren's performance as the Queen in the film, and on stage, has melted my heart towards her maj.

Celeb culture isn't going to go away and I'd rather they were on the front page than Jordan or Kerry Catona blabbing on about their latest marriage/divorce/botox treatment. Sitting in a garden centre yesterday I di take one of the daily papers that were there to read purely because of the picture of Kate and the baby on the cover. By the way I must point out that I am, in no way jealous of Pippa Middletons bottom [nose growing by the minute ]. I didn't realise about the chapel and Diana. I think that's lovely of William [makes my eyes well up].

Faye I think you're on to something there . I agree about celeb culture as well. They do have a duty to entertain us I'm afraid, or there's little point to having them.

I have seen it suggested that they didn't invite the whole family to the christening because they didn't want to invite Uncle Gary. I think there might be something in that as well. The royals have not had to deal with ordinary families, complete with dodgy relatives, before this. Welcome to the real world Your Maj

Deedaa - I am interested in your comment that your children were not christened because you could not decide whether they were going to become Catholics or Protestants. If a religious ceremony was important to you, did it matter which sect of Christianity you chose?

Is anybody being unpleasant about them or about the general media circus surrounding the christening? (Apart from PM's bottom and she's not royalty)

They are only there for show, and they know it so they put on a display for the audience when they feel it appropriate. Some people like the show and some people don't. It's like any other show really – open to eulogy and criticism.

I agree with Eloethan. They need the shows (a way of keeping themsleves in front of their admirers (and therefore, perforce, their critics also)) otherwise they'd fade out.

Celeb culture.

Faye, that was not addressed to you by the way.

Williiam and Kate just can't win as far as some of you are concerned, can they? If they had had a huge ceremony with foreign royalty as godparents you would have compained about the expense/fuss. They have a relatively low key affair and are accused of being too normal (or trying to be, anyway). If you don't like what they stand for that's fair enough, but do you have to be so bloody unpleasant about them?

I can't help but think William and Kate opted for a small family affair because of the Queen's decision earlier in the year to update the Order of Precedence.

I can just imagine Kate saying to William, "Dahling do we have to invite all of your family to George's christening. I will be absolutely worn out bowing and scraping to the likes of Beatrice and Eugenie if you are not constantly by my side."

Or William may have said, "Dash it all Kate, lets not invite all of The Family. I won't have you curtsying to those underlings."

There is a suggestion that the royal family are subjected to unwanted, unfair and unnecessary scrutiny in matters that should be private.

If it were not for all the propagandising coverage they receive, they would eventually fade into obscurity. They want the attention and, in my view anyway, it is ridiculous to suggest that they are somehow victims of media coverage, rather than the beneficiaries of it.

One of Diana's friends is a godmother, I think.

The chapel was thought to have been chosen by William as it was the chapel where Diana's coffin was laid for the family to pay their last respects the night before the funeral.

How did he include Diana at the christening? I only saw the photos in the paper today very briefly, but I thought they were lovely [although, I am sick of the nations obsession with Pippa Middletons bottom ]. And I think Kate needs to tone down her black eye make up. I don't think I'll ever stop feeling all protective of William.

It's very touching to see how much William tries to include the memory of his mother in the important stages of his life, his wedding, his son's christening.

Oh yes, Atqui, bound to...

Nice to have something cheerful in the headlines-though having said this I am sure the comment will provoke further posts about privilege ,poverty etc etc

Many years ago I worked for a small independent clothes shop which sold Christening gowns. It wasn't unusual to sell a gown to a Mum and see her back in the shop the next day with the father in tow asking for a replacement sailor suit as he wasn't having his son in a dress!

I loved it, gown and all and the baby looked so content. 7 god parents were a bit over the top but that is what they wanted so good luck to them.

What is amazing is the number of column inches/ post inches dedicated to the minutiae of the ceremony/outfits/traditions/order of service/godparents etc - and the number of people preoccupied with said minutiae.

Well I enjoyed what was available to watch of the Royal christening gathering! a bonny babe and happy family following tradition.
We had a family Christening robe but my kids were too big to wear it!
It has certainly stirred up some adverse comment , that's what GN is all about isn't it?

absent, What has any of that got to do with Prince George's christening?

It seems Prince William is determined to make changes and if it means his son will have a better understanding of how us normals live then that's a good thing.

The royal family can – and does – do as it likes. However, it would be good if it stopped pretending that anyone in the family was leading a "normal" life.

It picks and chooses about which family traditions to follow – and which families, for matter. How did the Duke of Edinburgh become a Mountbatten, for example? What about the relies that quite a few of them have spent years pretending didn't exist?