| The Christening of the Prince of Wales | |
| Artist: | George Hayter |
| Year: | 1845 |
| Type: | Oil on canvas |
| Height Metric: | 193 |
| Width Metric: | 275.5 |
| Metric Unit: | cm |
| Imperial Unit: | in |
| Museum: | Royal Collection |
| City: | London |
The Christening of the Prince of Wales is a history painting by the British artist Sir George Hayter, which was first exhibited at Windsor Castle in 1845. It depicts the christening on 25 January 1842 of Albert Edward, the infant Prince of Wales and eldest son and heir of Queen Victoria and her husband Albert, the Prince Consort. Hayter, appointed Principal Painter in Ordinary in 1841, had previously painted The Coronation of Queen Victoria and The Marriage of Queen Victoria.[1]
The painting depicts the ceremony at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. It portrays forty-nine of those present. The Prince would go on to reign under his regnal title Edward VII from 1901 to 1910, giving his name to the Edwardian era. Queen Victoria was apparently unimpressed by the painting, and did not wish to buy it unlike Hayter's previous works, as she claimed it was too large to hang in any of her palaces. It was ultimately purchased for the Royal Collection in 1871 and is now on display in Buckingham Palace.[2]