Cuddles at a christening

The heir to the throne of Monaco and his own heiress were christened today but the five month old twins were more interested in cuddling one another, Hereditary Prince Jacques and his big sister, Princess Gabriella, who he leapfrogged in the succession, held hands and gurgled at one another in a display of sibling affection that was pretty hard to resist, On the day Monaco finally got a good look at its future ruler and its newest princess, the babies proved irresistible.

Prince Albert II holding Princess Gabriella and Princess Charlene holding Prince Jacques as they emerge from the christening ceremony

The twins were baptised in a ceremony at Monaco Cathedral attended by family and friends. There was a reading from Prince Albert's nephew, Andrea Casiraghi,who recently became a father for the second time himself. And there were lots of admiring glances at the babies who seemed to be relishing their first moment in the spotlight.

The twins during their christening with their proud parents 

The baby prince and princess each have two godparents. Jacques Honore Rainer's are Christopher Le Vine Jr and Diane de Polignac Nigra while Gabriella Therese Marie's are Gareth Wittstock and Nerine Pienaar.  

A group photo including the godparents of the twins of Albert and Charlene

But it was while the grown ups were signing the paperwork that the twins really took centre stage. In a live broadcast on television also shared on the royal couple's Facebook page, little Jacques couldn't resist reaching out to his big sister for a cuddle.  And their mum couldn't resist popping back in between signing to hold hands with her little ones.

Prince Jacques of Monaco reaches out to his sister, Princess Gabriella, as their mum and dad get on with the paperwork following their christening in Monaco today

There was time for family photos before the royal couple walked out into the warm Monaco sunshine to show off their twins to the huge crowd which had thronged the square in front of the cathedral to catch a glimpse of the family. 

Princess Caroline stands with her brother and sister in law and her niece and nephew as they greet the crowds waiting for a glimpse of the family after the twins' christening on May 10th 2015

The babies then went inside for a nap while their mum and dad chatted and hugged many of those who had come to see the family on this special day.

Albert and Charlene of Monaco greet some of the huge crowd who turned out to see them and their children today

The twins were born on December 10th 2014 with Gabriella arriving first at 5.04pm and Jacques following two minutes later, Monaco's laws mean that he gets to succeed despite being (only ever so slightly) younger.  The babies were born three and a half years after their parents married in Monaco and their births made headlines around the world.

Jacques and Gabriella during their christening

And it looks like the two are firm friends as they reached out to spend as much time with one another as they could. It may have been a major occassion in their family life and in their country's life but for Jacques and Gabriella it was all about cuddles at a christening.

All photos from the Prince's Palace Facebook page and stills from the TV feed of the christening placed there earlier today.