The last couple of months have been full of milestones for the royal family.
From Prince William and Kate Middleton welcoming their third child, to Prince Harry tying the knot with Meghan Markle, and Prince George's upcoming fifth birthday, the blue bloods have had a lot to celebrate lately.
Last week, they added another special occasion to the list of festivities: Prince Louis' christening.
As tradition dictates, several days or weeks after a royal baby is born, they must be baptized by the head of the Church of England.
For the ceremony, the newborn is dressed in the same traditional gown that many royals before them donned for their christening. The outfit is a replica of the gown used in 1841 during Queen Victoria's reign. Apparently, she had it made for her daughter.
It has since been worn by 63 royal babies over eight generations, including Prince Louis on July 9.
The small ceremony, which took place at St. James's Palace, was attended by family and close friends, including newlyweds Harry and Meagan, Kate's parents Michael and Carole Middleton, Kate's sister Pippa Middleton and her husband James Matthews, Louis' godparents, and of course Prince Charles and Camilla.
Much to the public's dismay, Louis' great grandparents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were not in attendance. Buckingham Palace reassured everyone that their absence wasn't related to any health issues. Apparently, it was something they've agreed on with William and Kate a while ago.
Following the private ceremony, the guests were invited to enjoy some tea and snacks at Clarence House. They were also served slices from a tier of Will and Kate's iconic 2011 wedding cake.
Kensington Palace released a few photos and footage of the royals and their guests arriving to the church. These gave us all a rare glimpse at a growing Prince Louis, who has not been seen since Kate shared photos of her little boy 12 days after his birth.
Almost a week after Louis' christening, William and Kate have decided to share some of the official photographs from the big day.
One of the photos features the new family of five, Will, Kate, George, Charlotte, and Louis, showing off their best smiles.
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have released four official photographs to mark the christening of Prince Louis on Monday 9th July," read a tweet by Kensington Palace. "The photographs were taken by Matt Holyoak at Clarence House, following Prince Louis's christening."
The photo series included two more family portraits showcasing the Cambridges as well as a few more members of the royal family, including Harry, Meghan, Charles and Camilla.
Since the Queen wasn't at the christening, she was not in the official photos. However, a subtle tribute was paid to the monarch by including her portrait in the shot. It can be seen over Harry's shoulder.
In the final family photo, the royals are joined by Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton as well as her siblings, James and Pippa Middleton. James Matthews, Pippa's husband, was also in the snap.
Holyoak also captured some special mother and son photos in the Clarence House garden and they're too adorable for words.
Will and Kate have also chosen to share a fifth, surprise photo which will be included in the family's personal album.
"Their Royal Highnesses hope that everyone enjoys this lovely photograph of Prince Louis as much as they do," wrote the Kensington Palace.
The candid snap shows both Kate and Louis, who was asleep at the start of the ceremony, smiling and it's his most precious photo yet.
According to Rebecca English from the Daily Mail, "William and Kate liked this shot of Louis so much that they decided to release it publically [SIC]."
Well, it's really not hard to see why they wanted to share this beautiful photo with the world.
We can't wait to see more of Prince Louis and his siblings!
