The heir apparent to the British throne has brought back dozens of bottles of holy water for future baptisms of royal babies following his recent trip to the Middle East.
AceShowbiz –Prince Charles is flying dozens of bottles of holy water taken from the River Jordan back to the U.K. to use for royal baptisms.
The Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were given the opportunity to dip their fingers in the water, where Jesus was said to be baptised, as they embarked on a whirlwind tour to the Middle East.
The royal couple flew into Amman, the Jordanian capital, on Tuesday (16Nov21), where they were welcomed by King Abdullah II, Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, and Crown Prince Hussein at the Al Husseiniya Palace.
Charles will be taking home a consignment of vials full of the special water later this week, which will eventually be used at the Chapel Royal at London’s St. James’ Palace, where his youngest grandson Prince Louis was christened.
Royal babies are traditionally welcomed into the church with water taken from the holy site, but Charles’ decision to bring the water back personally is unusual.
The Director General of the Baptism Site, Rustom Mkhjian, told the Daily Mail newspaper, “This time the Embassy people asked for a few (bottles) of Holy water and we provided them with five dozen, six dozen, prior to this trip.”
Mkhjian told the outlet, “(The royals) said (they) wanted it for children to be baptised later on. Future baptisms, yes.”
“It is pure water blessed from the spot where Jesus was baptised. It is holy and blessed from this particular spot in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”
A senior royal aide confirmed the water had been collected and will be flown back to the U.K. on the royal flight.
Editors at the Daily Mail predict the water may be used to christen the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new daughter Lilibet, or Princess Beatrice’s newborn, Sienna Elizabeth.
Although Harry and Meghan’s son Archie was baptised in a private ceremony at Windsor Castle with water from the River Jordan, it is not known when or where Lilibet, who was born in June, 2021, will be christened, the newspaper reports.
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