Archie is officially christened! See the incredible pictures from inside the royal ceremony

It’s official! Baby Archie, the adorable new son of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry has officially been christened, and the first photos from inside the ceremony are, quite frankly, pure heaven.

In a private ceremony held on Saturday, July 6 in the UK, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held the baptism for Archie, who reached exactly two months old on the special day.

Present at the intimate ceremony were less than 25 guests and a sole photographer who has captured some incredible moments for the world to see.

Held in Windsor Castle’s private chapel, Harry, Meghan and baby Archie were joined by members of the British royal family, along with some of their nearest and dearest friends.

Guests included Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, Prince Charles and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall along with Kate Middleton and Prince William.

In an incredible nod to Harry’s much loved late mother, Princess Diana’s sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, were also pictured standing alongside the family at the event.

In the first photo of the stunning new set, Archie is seen being cradled by Meghan, while members of his extended family stand around them.

In the second black-and-white photo, a stunning intimate scene features Archie, Meghan and Harry sharing a moment outside Windsor Castle together.

Taking to their official Instagram account, @SussexRoyal, a statement read: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are so happy to share the joy of this day with members of the public who have been incredibly supportive since the birth of their son. They thank you for your kindness in welcoming their first born and celebrating this special moment.”

“Their Royal Highnesses feel fortunate to have enjoyed this day with family and the godparents of Archie.”

The images are a glorious sight for royal fans given this marks only the third time we’ve caught a glimpse of his face – and now we can’t stop looking!

The ceremony has been a much talked about affair in the months since Archie’s birth on May 6, with Buckingham Palace announcing that it would be a private event just last week.

Stating that the ceremony would be carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the palace confirmed that Harry and Meghan were looking forward to sharing pictures from the service afterwards.

And we can certainly see why, these new pictures were certainly worth the wait!

For the occasion, Meghan wore a stylish white dress, paired with a matching hat.

As for her fellow stylish sister-in-law Kate? We can’t get enough of her gorgeous pink Stella McCartney dress, which featured a gorgeous pussy bow at the front.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this dress on the mum-of-three – she wore the very same frock to a Christmas celebration at Buckingham Palace in December 2018.

We’re also loving the added touch of her Emmy London shoes and Juliette Botterill head piece – the bold red tones paired with the pink gown are unexpectedly glamorous!

But most special of all was baby Archie’s gown, which was revealed to be a handmade replica of the royal christening gown which has been worn by royal infants for the last 11 years.

In their Instagram announcement SussexRoyal explained: “The original Royal Christening Robe, made of fine Honiton lace lined with white satin, was commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1841 and first worn by her eldest daughter.”

” It was subsequently worn for generations of Royal christenings, including The Queen, her children and her grandchildren until 2004, when The Queen commissioned this handmade replica, in order for the fragile historic outfit to be preserved, and for the tradition to continue.”

There was one other special detail in the intimate portraits that we couldn’t help but notice – the clock on the wall behind the extended family reveals the time being just before 11.55am.

This mean’s Archie was likely officially christened at 11am!

Other guests in attendance at Archie’s big day were some of Meghan’s close pals, including Lindsay Roth and Genevieve Hillis, both of whom Meghan knew from her college days in the US.

The Queen was not in attendance on the day due to a prior engagement, but there’s no doubt it was still the special, intimate occasion Meghan and Harry hoped it would be.

During the ceremony, it is understood Archie was christened with a Lily Font, which has been commonly used at royal baptisms dating as far back as the 1800s.

It is also understood Archie’s christening gown is the very same worn by his cousins Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte for their baptisms.

While royal christenings often reveal the godparents of the baby, Harry and Meghan have chosen to keep this information private.

The statement from Buckingham Palace confirmed this, which came as a surprise to many.

“The godparents, in keeping with their wishes, will remain private,” the statement read.

While we don’t yet know their identities, we can definitely take comfort in the fact that Archie is surrounded by some incredible role models.

These include Meghan’s well known friends Amal Clooney, who is a human rights lawyer, and tennis legend Serena Williams.

In fact, it was less than a week ago that Meghan took a break from her maternity leave by stepping out at the Wimbledon Championships to watch her friend compete.

Wearing a smart white pinstripe blazer by L’Agence and panama-style Madewell hat, Meghan pulled off her casual-chic ensemble like no other with a pair of blue denim jeans.

But it was the smallest detail in her outfit that really captured our attention – a small necklace displaying the letter ‘A’.

A sweet nod to baby Archie, this new mum is clearly smitten for her newborn, and going by the latest drop of pictures, we can’t blame her!