Royal Family News: Why Does Prince Charles Need Dozens Of Bottles Of Holy Water?

British royal family news shows that Charles, the Prince of Wales, is on an official royal visit to the Middle East. His trip comes after a historic Remembrance Sunday in London, one in which his mother Queen Elizabeth was absent from the traditional wreath laying at the Cenotaph.

It was the third significant event missed due to her medical issues, and the nation is now watching and wondering about the exact health circumstances their 95-year old monarch finds herself in.

Royal Family News – Prince Charles Is In The Middle East

Charles is accompanied by his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and on Tuesday the couple had the honor of dipping their hands into the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized. He is said to be bringing back, “five or six dozen bottles,” of Holy water from the river to use in royal baptisms.

It is a longstanding tradition that UK royal babies are baptized and welcomed into the church with water from the spot, “where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist using the ornate silver gilt Lily Font, part of the Crown Jewels,” according to the Daily Mail.

Nonetheless the specter of Prince Charles transporting the holy water back himself is unique.

Rustom Mkhjian is the Director General of the Baptism Site and he told the Daily Mail, “the Embassy people asked for a few dozens [bottles] of Holy water and we provided them with five dozen, six dozen.”

Prince Charles Is Overseas

When asked what the water would be used for he said he did not know the exact nature of its intended use: “I didn’t know, I didn’t want to ask. But they said we wanted it for children to be baptized later on. Future baptisms, yes.” He said the water would last indefinitely, “It is pure water blessed from the spot where Jesus was baptized. It is holy and blessed from this particular spot in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”

During the royal couple’s visit to the river they each dipped their fingers into the water and signed a visitor’s book.

There are several new royal babies who could be baptized with the water, including Princess Beatrice’s first child, daughter Sienna Elizabeth.

Royal Family News – Who Will Be Baptized Next?

Charles and Camilla’s trip began in Jordan and next they will be in Egypt. They flew into Amman on the UK government’s official RAF Voyager plane. For the first time the plane was fueled by “green” sustainable aviation fuel, “made from extracting waste oils from crops, cooking, forestry and paper manufacturing and mixing it with kerosene.”

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