Prince George christening very 'intimate' ceremony

Only a handful of royals and close family members have made it to the guest list for the christening of Britain's newest Prince George later this month.
Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly want a very "intimate family affair" for the ceremony for their first-born at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace here on October 23.
"It will be an intimate and family affair. We set those expectations right at the start. It has not been unusual at previous christenings for great-aunts and great-uncles not to be there," a royal source told 'The Times'.
Several senior members of the royal family will not be attending, including William's aunts - the Princess Royal and the Countess of Wessex.

There is also speculation that Prince George's great-uncles, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex, may not be present at the christening of Britain's third in line to the throne.
Among those who will definitely attend the ceremony will be Queen Elizabeth II and husband Duke of Edinburgh - the child's great grandmother and grandfather, Prince Charles and wife Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and the Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and her siblings James and Pippa.

Prince Harry and James and Pippa Middleton are expected to be named as godparents.
In sharp contrast, when Prince William was christened in 1982 more than 60 guests had gathered to mark the occasion.

The very private affair for George is reflective of new parents Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's decision to set their own rules and not be bound entirely by royal protocol and traditions.
The Chapel Royal venue has personal memories for William and Kate, as the prince's mother Diana, Princess of Wales, lay at rest there following her death in 1997, and Kate was confirmed into the Church of England there before her marriage in 2011.