Dressmaker for royal christening gown revealed

The daughter of a Scottish coal miner designed the traditional royal christening gown.

Janet Sutherland created the lace and satin gown which was originally made for the christening of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter – also named Victoria – in 1841, and since has been worn by more than 60 royal babies.

According to The Sunday Times newspaper Janet started working for Queen Victoria – who reigned between June 1837 until January 1901, when she died – when she was 34, and is believed to have designed the piece to resemble the dress Victoria wore during her wedding to her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840.

The dress is now old and fragile so a replica was made by the Queen’s dressmaker Angela Kelly, and this will be worn by Duchess Catherine and Prince William’s baby, Prince George, on Wednesday (23.10.13).

Prince George’s baptism will take place next Wednesday October 23 at 3pm at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace, instead of at traditional venue Buckingham Palace.

The chapel is believed to be of significance to William as it is where he and his brother, Prince Harry, mourned the loss of their mother Princess Diana before her funeral in 1997.