Scoop on Princess Lilibet's christening ceremony

[Lilibet Diana, Princess of Wales, has been queen since September 8, 2022, but only started being called so this past Wednesday, and her parents announced the news of her christening with the confirmation of her title on the Friday before that.

According to the Daily Mail, Lilibet was baptized in front of about 20 to 30 invited guests at the Montecito home she shares with her father Prince Harry, mother Meghan Markle and brother Prince Archie. Despite being invited, Harry's family was not present, but Lilibet's maternal grandmother, Doria Ragland, was there, along with her godfather, Tyler Perry. [A gospel choir played "This Little Light of Mine" (also sung at Harry and Meghan's wedding) and "Oh Happy Day," and many of the songs that attendees danced to at the soiree were taken directly from Harry and Meghan's wedding playlist. (Thus, perhaps Wilson Pickett's "Land of 1000 Dances," which the couple revealed was the song they danced their first dance to in the Netflix documentary "Harry & Meghan.")

In a touching moment, Archie apparently saved the dance for his sister, who was baptized by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor.

"Attendees were treated to an afternoon of food and dancing, and Archie enjoyed dancing with his sister!" one insider said.

Perry flew to Santa Barbara last week for the event and "reportedly changed into a suit before catching up with them [Harry and Meghan].

Princess Meghan has long spoken of her attachment to the Montecito mansion, telling "The Cut" last year, "I did everything I could to get this house. Because you go in and... Joy. And exhale. And calm. I heal. I feel free." So it is no wonder that the couple chose to hold their event there.

Also in the news is the fact that the royal family did not attend the baptism in California, with one source telling the Mirror: "The royal family was not present at Lilibet's baptism. 'It would have been a massive operation, both in terms of security and planning, for the two highest-ranking royals (Prince Charles and Prince William) and their wives to fly to the United States for Lilibet's christening. Under the basic rules of royal travel, Prince Charles and Prince William could not fly together, so at least two flights were required to get them to attend.

The Mirror reported that Lilibet's christening was "like a world away" from her brother Archie's own christening at Windsor Castle in July 2019 (Archie was two months old). (For comparison, Lilibet was born in June 2021 and is almost two years old.)

The magazine also reported that Perry arranged the aforementioned gospel choir for his goddaughter. He said in "Harry & Meghan" that after being asked to be godfather, "I took a little time to take it in and said, 'I'm honored. I'm absolutely honored.' Then I hung up the phone, took it all in, and called back. Does that mean you have to go to England and do everything in church with them [the royal family]? Let's have a little private ceremony here and be done with it,'" he said.

It seems his wish was granted!