Prince George will have six godparents

Kensington Palace has refused to comment on the identity of Prince George’s six godparents.

However, three close friends have been named as likely candidates: University of St Andrews contemporary Fergus Boyd, 31; interior designer and school friend of Kate Middleton Emilia d’Erlanger, also 31, and Hugh van Cutsem, 39, one of Prince William’s oldest friends.

Contenders for the other three places include university friends Oliver Baker and Alasdair Coutts-Wood; Kate Middleton’s Marlborough school friend Alicia Fox-Pitt and St Andrews students Virginia Fraser and Olivia Bleasdale.

If Prince William and Kate Middleton want some older guardians there is former nanny Tiggy Pettifer or former private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, while Prince Harry, Pippa Middleton and Zara Phillips can’t be ruled out.

Joe Little, editor of Majesty magazine, says: “William and Kate have shown with their wedding, and now with the christening, that they will do things their way in the 21st century, and choose the people they want.

“It is a refreshing modern outlook as long as they don’t overdo it and become Mr. and Mrs. Ordinary, which would take away the magic of the monarchy and could cause people to lose interest.”

In 1948, Prince Charles’s names were not even made public until the day of his christening, a month after his birth.

Most of Prince Charles’ eight godparents were elderly, and two, great uncles King Haakon of Norway and Prince George of Greece, could not make it to the service.

By contrast Prince William howled through his christening on August 4, 1982, watched by the Queen Mother on her 82nd birthday who said afterwards: “He certainly has a good pair of lungs!”

Prince William wore the same christening gown, made from Spitalfi elds silk satin and Honiton lace, as all the royals since Queen Victoria’s oldest daughter Victoria was baptized in 1841.

The last royal baby to wear it was the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s daughter Lady Louise but it is now in the Museum of London and a replica has been made by the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly. This gown, which Prince George will wear at his tomorrow’s christening, was first used for Edward and Sophie’s son James Viscount Severn in 2008.

Prince William’s godparents were mainly chosen by Prince Charles, and included former King Constantine of Greece, Lord Romsey, Princess Alexandra, the Duchess of Westminster and Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen’s senior lady-in waiting.

The one big surprise was Prince Charles’s mystical mentor, the explorer and philosopher Sir Laurens van der Post, who was chosen to give a spiritual element to William’s childhood.

Princes were traditionally circumcised for hygienic reasons.