Friday, August 31, 2012

A royal baptism

August 31, 1888

The infant son of Kaiser Wilhelm II and his wife, Auguste Viktoria, was baptized today in Berlin.  He was given the names Oskar Karl Gustaf Adolf.  The ceremony was held "with much religious pomp and circumstance" in Frederick the Great's library at the palace in Potsdam.

The guests at the baptism included the King of Sweden, the King and Queen of Saxony, the Crown Prince of Greece, Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and a "galaxy of German Princes," according to the Chicago Daily Tribune.

The infant prince was named in honor of the King of Sweden, and in "commemoration of his own imperial father's presence in Stockholm on the day of his birth."  His godparents include the Princess of Wales, the Empress of Austria, and the Queens of Italy and Saxony.

The baby's widowed grandmother, Empress Friedrich, and widowed great-grandmother, Empress Auguste, were also present for the ceremony.

Prince Oskar, who was born on July 27, is the Emperor's fifth son.

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