The
Honiton christening gown, or simply the
royal christening gown, is an item of
baptismal clothing used by the
British royal family at every
christening. The original gown was created for the christening of
Victoria, Princess Royal, in 1841 and was used by the family until 2004, when it was retired for
conservation. The gown was designed by Janet Sutherland, who served as Embroiderer to the Queen. It was made of
Honiton lace and Spitalfields
silk, and was fashioned after
Queen Victoria's wedding dress. Subsequent generations also continued to use it, including Victoria's great-grandson
Lord Louis Mountbatten. Five kings, four queens, an empress, and a crown princess were christened in the original gown:
Lilibet, the daughter of Prince Harry, is not thought to have worn the gown for her christening. There are strict instructions governing the care of the gown, including that it be washed by hand with
spring water after each use and stored in a dark room. These measures are intended to slow the garment's ageing process and preserve it for as long as possible.. At that time, the gown was 34 years old.
Replica gown The 1841 gown was last used in 2004 at the christening of
Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, 163 years after its first use; Queen Elizabeth II subsequently decided that it had become too fragile for continued use and had it retired. She then commissioned her personal wardrobe adviser,
Angela Kelly, to recreate the original gown. Craftsmen from both the United Kingdom and Italy were involved in the project to ensure that the new gown would be as close to the 1841 design as possible. and has remained in use ever since. Its most recent use was at the christening of
Princess Beatrice's younger daughter, Athena Mapelli Mozzi, in 2025. ==Denmark==