
- Today, the newest addition to the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie Harrison (opens in new tab), is scheduled to be christened in a private ceremony in Windsor.
- Harry and Meghan's decision to keep the christening private has been met with some criticism, as have other recent moves by the notoriously private royal couple.
- Critics of Harry and Meghan's decision to keep Archie's christening private point to their use of taxpayer money (opens in new tab), particularly for renovations to their home, Frogmore Cottage.
Today, the newest addition to the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's (opens in new tab) son, Archie Harrison, is being christened (opens in new tab) in a very small (it's been reported (opens in new tab) that fewer than 25 friends and family were invited to the intimate affair), very private ceremony in Windsor.
While royal fans the world over are a little bummed not to be able to watch one of Archie's first milestones in real time, most have taken the, "eh, kind of sucks, but I get it" stance when it comes to the lack of public access to Archie's christening (opens in new tab).
Others, however, have been more critical of Harry and Meghan. As CNN (opens in new tab) notes, the private christening ceremony (opens in new tab) is just the latest in a string of moves the royal couple have made that critics don't fully support. Especially after the recent revelation that British taxpayers footed a £2.4 million (opens in new tab) (about $3 million) bill for Harry and Meghan's Frogmore Cottage renovations (opens in new tab), many feel the public has a right to be included in these milestones. The argument seems to be that Harry and Meghan are trying to have it both ways—using public funds and not fully embracing their (and, by extension, Archie's) role as public figures.
Of course, to quote the great philosopher Rachel Bloom (opens in new tab), the situation is a lot more nuanced than that (opens in new tab).
For one thing, there's the obvious counterpoint that, while Harry and Meghan (opens in new tab) are clearly public figures, the obligations that accompany that position shouldn't extend to their infant child, even if he does eventually grow up to be a working royal like his mom and dad.
And, for what it's worth to any haters out there, Harry and Meghan's personal photographer, Chris Allerton, will be on hand and will release official photos from the christening afterwards, Buckingham Palace has said.
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Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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