Prince Harry and Meghan's son Archie christened in private service

Prince Harry and Meghan's baby son Archie was on Saturday christened in the chapel at Windsor Castle in a private ceremony following his birth in early May.

The couple's first child - who is seventh in line to the British throne - wore a handmade replica of the royal christening robe, which was made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria.

The replica has been worn by royal infants at christenings for the last 11 years.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby baptised the two-month-old using water from the River Jordan and the silver Lily Font, a royal heirloom, in accordance with tradition.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released two photographs of them with Archie on their social media accounts, showing his face for the first time.

In one picture, they are surrounded by close family while in the other the couple are cradling him.

The images were taken by fashion photographer Chris Allerton, who also shot Harry and Meghan's wedding photographs last year.

Meghan's mother Doria Ragland, Harry's brother William and his wife Kate, and their father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, all posed in the picture.

The sisters of the late Diana, Princess of Wales - Harry and William's mother - also attended and featured in the family photo.

The names of Archie's godparents were not released by Harry and Meghan and remain a mystery.

Prince Harry's secrecy wish

Prince Harry is behind the plan to keep his son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor's godparents a secret.

The royal and his wife, Duchess Meghan, will christen their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, on Saturday but, breaking with royal tradition, they have decided not to release the names of the tot's godparents, a decision which was reportedly Harry's idea.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "People might think Meghan responsible for this whole privacy thing but it is Harry leading the charge. He wants Archie to be a private citizen in every way possible."

A statement from the royals explained: "Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor will be christened in a small private ceremony by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday 6th July. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex look forward to sharing some images taken on the day by photographer Chris Allerton. The godparents, in keeping with their wishes, will remain private."

The Church of England added: "Under the Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978 all baptisms must be registered and the record made is normally publicly available.

"However the register to be used in this case is held privately by the royal household . . . and we understand that it has never complied with the usual requirement."

Meanwhile, Prince Harry previously opened up about how he desperately wants to be a good role model for his son.

Speaking at the National Youth Mentoring Summit, he said: "I'm struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model. The person who may be sitting here today that doesn't realise that someone looks up to them, that - for that person - you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful. Perhaps it's the newfound clarity I have as a father knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behaviour, one day maybe even following in my footsteps.

"But it's not just my role as a father that shows me that; it's in the people I see every day that don't realise how inspirational they are to those watching."

Archie's christening set for Saturday

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's son Archie will be christened during a private ceremony on Saturday.

Kensington Palace have revealed the christening of the couple's first child will be a private event, held over the coming weekend at Windsor Castle.

The statement reads: "Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor will be christened in a small private ceremony by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday 6th July. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex look forward to sharing some images taken on the day by photographer Chris Allerton. The godparents, in keeping with their wishes, will remain private."

Meanwhile, Prince Harry previously opened up about how he desperately wants to be a good role model for his son.

Speaking at the National Youth Mentoring Summit - which was organised by the Diana Awards charity, which honours the memory of Harry's late mother Princess Diana - he said: "I'm struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model. The person who may be sitting here today that doesn't realise that someone looks up to them, that - for that person - you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful. Perhaps it's the newfound clarity I have as a father knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behaviour, one day maybe even following in my footsteps.

"But it's not just my role as a father that shows me that; it's in the people I see every day that don't realise how inspirational they are to those watching."

Harry had also previously admitted he was worried about the world his son would be born into.

Speaking before Archie was born on May 6, he shared: "As someone who is about to become a father, I am acutely aware of our shared responsibility to make this world more resilient and its inhabitants more accountable for the next generation. The only way to see real progress is not by chance, it's by change."

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