Prince Harry has often shared fond recollections of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales , and it appears he's channeled a cherished memory into a thoughtful christening gift for Prince Louis . The Duke of Sussex honored Diana's passion for collecting first editions by beginning a similar tradition for his nephews and niece, splurging $10,000 on a 1926 original edition of A.A Milne's Winnie the Pooh.
A source said: "One of Harry's happiest childhood memories was being read a bedtime story by his mother. She loved all the old classics and Harry had the brilliant idea of starting a little library of first editions for Louis, Charlotte and George to enjoy as they get older. He originally wanted to get Lewis Carroll's Through The Looking Glass, which was on sale for $31,000, but decided Winnie-The-Pooh would be more suitable for a first tome. Robinson Crusoe was William's favorite book, but Harry loved all things A.A. Milne."
It's understood that Prince Harry picked up one of the initial 30,000 copies from the first print run of the beloved book. Prince Harry's thoughtful christening gift for Prince Louis surely made a splash at the Royal affair held at St James's Palace in London on July 9, 2018. For his special day, the youngest of the Wales family was decked out in a replica of the historic Royal christening robe, reports the Mirror .
The original piece, ordered by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for their first daughter's baptism back in 1841, has been donned by an impressive lineup of 62 Royal tots over a span of 163 years. Lady Louise Windsor, the daughter of The Earl and Countess of Wessex, had the honor of being the last Royal to be christened in it in 2004.
Due to its fragile state, the late Queen decided to preserve the original gown and commissioned a duplicate in 2008.
The monumental job of replicating the gown was entrusted to Angela Kelly, the late Queen's personal dressmaker and confidante, who divulged the intricate process in her revealing tome 'The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe'. Teaming up with dresser Barbara Buckfield, Angela jetted off to Italy in search of the quintessential lace, all while safeguarding the invaluable original in her purse.
Angela detailed the unique dyeing technique in her book: "Together, we sourced lace to complement that being made in Italy, and to make sure it looks authentic we dyed it in Yorkshire tea (the strongest, as we all know). We placed each piece of lace in a small bowl, from the Dressers' kitchen, filled with cool water and a tea bag, and left it for about five minutes, checking regularly until the color was perfect."
Angela revealed that she kept The Queen updated on the gown's progression, which took roughly nine months to complete. She mentioned, "Her Majesty was very interested to see how it was developing."
The honor of being the first Royal baby donned in the replica gown during a christening went to Lady Louise Windsor's sibling, James, Viscount Severn, back in 2008.
Not just Royal siblings Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis graced their christenings with this replica in 2013, 2015, and 2018, but also young royals from Savannah and Isla Phillips to Archie Mountbatten-Windsor have been garbed in the historic piece.
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