Who Kate Middleton and Prince William will choose for their third baby’s godparents
PRINCE William and his wife Catherine are not expected to ask Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, or James and Pippa Middleton to be their third child’s godparents. They have others in mind.
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PRINCE William and his wife Catherine’s childhood friends and university roommates are some of the top picks to be godparents to their third baby.
The royal couple’s former flatmates Fergus Boyd and Olivia Bleasdale, from their days attending St Andrews University together, are considered frontrunners; while William’s childhood friend Hugh van Custem could also be named.
William is godfather to Mr van Custem’s daughter Grace, who was a bridesmaid for his wedding and famously covered her ears during the balcony photos.
Mr van Custem’s brother William is also one of Prince George’s godfathers.
Royals tend to have multiple godparents.
Prince William has six and Prince Harry has seven.
While the couple are both very close to their siblings, neither William’s brother Prince Harry and his soon-to-be wife Meghan Markle, or Catherine’s siblings James and Pippa are expected to be named godparents.
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Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told News Corp that given the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge had not chosen immediate family to be the godparents of either George, four, or Charlotte, two, it seemed likely they would once again pick friends.
Prince George has seven godparents, with only one who is a family member - Prince William’s cousin, Zara Tindall.
George’s other godparents include billionaire aristocrat Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, Prince William’s former private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton and psychotherapist Julia Samuel.
Charlotte’s godparents include Catherine’s cousin Adam Middleton, Prince William’s maternal cousin Laura Fellowes and family friends Thomas van Straubenzee, James Meade, and Sophie Carter.
Well-connected guests of their 2011 wedding may also be considered, including Tom Bradby, 43, a former ITN political editor, and his wife Claudia Bradby, who designs jewellery and worked with Kate when she was an intern at Jigsaw.
From the titled set, Lady Laura Marsham, the daughter of Julian Marsham, 8th Earl of Romley, skies regularly with the couple and is involved in William’s charity, the Tusk Trust.
William’s former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke and her husband Charles Pettifer may also be on the short list.
If William opts for other cousins, his maternal aunt Sarah McCorquodale children - Emily, George and Celia - could fly the flag for Diana’s side of the family.
“(The godparents) could be Princess Beatrice or Princess Eugenie or it could just be friends,” Mr Fitzwilliams said.
“If they don’t have Harry it won’t be a snub, it just seems to be that friends as godparents is the way William and Kate prefer it.”