Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are married and expecting their first child together. The couple’s future kids will be baptized as Christians and raised as members of the church. The newborn baby was a source of celebration as the Hollywood lovebirds made their big day official on April 18th. The actress tied the knot with her on-again, off-again boyfriend at London’s City Hall. She wore a custom-made ivory dress that featured a lace overlay and a lace collar. Stewart’s father Bill served as her best man. Her mother Frances wore a sleek green dress that complimented the color of Stewart’s engagement ring.
The ceremony was followed by a reception at London’s Mansion House. Guests dined on caviar blinis, Scotch eggs, and mini lobster burgers. The food was provided by Bloomsbury and The Savoy hotel group. A champagne reception closed the wedding ceremony and party. The newlyweds made their way to La Bodega in Piccadilly for a private family celebration.
This is the story of two young people who married for love, and the challenges they face in raising a family. It is also the story of a faith that sees in marriage and family a way to serve Christ and save the world.
A Princess Weds A Prince
Despite being born in the USA, Stewart is a pure Englishwoman, married to a Scottish prince. She met Prince Charles, the grandson of Queen Victoria, when she was a child. The couple dated for a while, and then got engaged when Stewart was 23 and the Prince was 28. The future King of England attended the wedding of his beloved Princess in May 1984, which was held at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The couple wed in a lavish ceremony, which was broadcast live on television. After the ceremony, the newlyweds posed for photos in the gardens of the castle.
The couple’s first child, a daughter named Alice, was born in 1988. A son, Arthur, was followed by a second daughter, Eve, in 1990. (The couple have four children together, the last two born in 2013 and 2015, respectively.)
Like many prominent royal families, the Stewarts are highly devoted to their church and its doctrines. When Alice (now Lady Alice) was 12, she wrote a letter to her parents expressing her disappointment that Christmas was approaching and she still had no Christmas gift. In response, her parents sent her a Christmas book, highlighting the importance of prayer and reading the Bible. Arthur and Alice are both named after Christian saints, and the family is a regular attendee at church services.
While on the surface Alice appears to have had a sheltered upbringing, she has spent time away from the cameras working with her mother in a charity that supports underprivileged children. The Duchess of Cambridge has said, “Alice is someone who has always looked up to me and followed my lead, as a mother and as a woman. She is a very confident young lady, and I have seen her grow into a beautiful young woman.”
It is likely that most people in Britain knew that the ‘royal baby boom’ was coming. The Duchess of Cambridge has said that she and Kate Middleton were “over the moon” when they discovered that they were both expecting twins. Indeed, twin pregnancies are relatively common among the English Royals. In 2014, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed that she was 6 weeks pregnant with Prince George at the time of his christening. (Prince George was born on June 25th, 2014.)
A Changing Of The Guard
There have been some significant changes to the British Royal Family in the last year. The Queen has celebrated her 90th birthday, making her the world’s longest-reigning and only active monarch. She has also welcomed her first grandchild, Prince Louis, into the family.
As for Kate, Princess Anne officially announced that she and husband Mark Denny were divorcing. The couple had been married for over 30 years. (The former Kate Middleton reportedly worked as a high-end private-hire driver in London after her marriage to Prince Andrew in 1998, which was annulled in 2004.)
It’s fair to say that Kate has not been at the forefront of the royal child-rearing campaign. For example, Prince George, who is fifth in line to the throne, has been primarily based at university while his younger brother, Prince Harry, has spearheaded the drive to make life easier for new parents. (Prince George is a medical student in London while Harry is studying at university in Durham.)
The couple’s decision to split has not been widely publicized. However, it has not stopped the press from speculating about the former Mrs. Simpson’s future. Speculation has intensified since she made a surprise appearance at the wedding last year of Britain’s Princess Eugenie. (Prince Andrew’s wife is a former Miss Canada, and after her divorce she became known as the “Duchess of York.”)
The Duchess of York has been spotted looking into prospective baby-minding services. (The Queen herself has a long history of hiring nannies for her children. She currently has 13 living descendants, including Prince George, who is third in line to the throne. The job of a royal nanny is to help look after the children of the monarch while she is traveling or during major events. In some cases, nannies have become so close to the royal family that they have married into the institution. The Queen has approved a famous marriage between a granddaughter and a nanny.)
An Evangelical Affair
Stewart is a practicing Christian who has been open about her faith. She is a committed member of the Church of England and regularly attends services with the Royal Family. (The Duchess of Cambridge has also spoken openly about her faith, calling herself a “loving Christian.”) While Stewart has mostly kept quiet about her marital status, she has been extremely open about her religious beliefs. One of her first public appearances after the wedding was at the Royal British Chapel in London, where she attended a service with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. (The Duchess of Cambridge’s grandparents were Baptist missionaries in China.)
The couple have chosen to raise their children in the Christian faith. While on the subject of faith, it is important to note that both partners are staunch Evangelicals. The Duke of Cambridge is a life-long member of the Anglican church and served as the Archbishop of Canterbury. (He also has served as the Prince of Wales and George VI.)
The Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, officiated at their wedding. He said that their partnership was “a testimony to the Christian principles on which they were taught as children.” The Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, who conducted the wedding ceremony, hailed the couple as a “testament to the beauty of Christian commitment.”
Sentamu went on to say, “There are countless couples who look at what you have done and say ‘I want that.’ You spoke of your strong desire to have children and to be a family. So it is my deepest hope that your wish comes true and that you have children who are proudly Christian.”
According to the Bible, the creation of marriage and family is God’s greatest gift to humanity. The Bible also teaches that husbands and wives should serve and love each other as Christ serves the church. That is a powerful message to pass on to children. (1 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 5:21-33; Matthew 22:30-32; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 20:27-28.)
A Noble Response
It is always a source of wonder to me how the media can turn on a couple once their star has faded a little. (Many tabloid newspapers in the UK have a history of viciously vilifying the rich and famous. That seems to be changing, however, with media watchdog groups such as the British Press Complaints Commission advocating for greater privacy and protection of offspring for celebrities.)
Even if some people in the UK didn’t care for the Royal Family and its various scandals, the country would still be able to celebrate the achievements of these two young people. (They are committed to their children, and have already demonstrated their love by donating over £500,000 to good causes.)
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been open about their struggle to balance work and family. As with so many other prominent couples, child-rearing has proven to be a real challenge for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The couple often have to make difficult decisions about where to spend their time and money, given the demands of fatherhood. (The Prince of Wales has also had to make some important adjustments to his status as head of the family.)