It’s tricky to uphold royal traditions when you’re not quite one — but Prince George has proved himself more than equal to the nation’s favourite: the walkabout.
Invented by the Queen on an overseas tour in 1970 to ensure she was seen by her fans, it’s been an essential part of the royal repertoire ever since.
And now, in a portrait released to mark his first birthday on Tuesday, the third in line to the throne has shown he’s learned an early lesson from his great grandmother. Like her, he’s delighting his audience with a trademark outfit, sensible shoes and a twinkle in his eye. But what’s all his own work is the newly-mastered art of walking — this is the first time we have seen George standing on his own two feet.
The delightful shot was captured on a family outing to the Natural History Museum’s Sensational Butterflies Exhibition in London. The Duchess of Cambridge, who became a patron of the museum last year, took her husband and son to see it earlier this month.
Press Association Royal photographer John Stillwell was there to record the day and his lens found George practising his walking unaided. The last time the Prince was seen in public, at a Father’s Day polo match in June, he still needed his mother’s hand to help him keep his balance.
But here, to his obvious delight, he has reached another significant milestone. Although some babies walk as early as nine months, others can be twice that age, making George’s achievement at around 10 months remarkable.
Baby textbooks characterise early walkers as busy, curious, impetuous and therefore occasionally accident-prone, a description which chimes with the vignettes of family life Kate and William have shared while on walkabouts of their own.
The Duke revealed at a recent engagement that George is tearing around Kensington Palace opening and closing doors and exploring every corner of their home in Apartment 1A. He also recently predicted that George will be “running faster than me soon” and admitted his son is hard to handle at bath time.
Although the Duke and Duchess have been at pains to maintain George’s privacy since he was born on July 22 last year, they are acknowledging the intense global interest in their son’s first year by releasing three pictures of him.
He is seen wearing his signature dungarees (this pair is by cult French yummy mummy label Petit Bateau), a smart navy polo shirt and navy blue Alex cruiser shoes designed to protect infant feet.
It’s clear George has grown significantly since we last saw him officially on the Cambridges’ successful tour of Australia and New Zealand in April. Then he was constantly in his parents’ arms.
George enjoyed an early birthday celebration at the Berkshire home of his grandparents, Michael and Carole Middleton who, with the help of his Auntie Pippa, organised a Peter Rabbit-themed party with guests including Mia Tindall, Zara and Mike Tindall’s baby girl.
But his main party will be a low-key affair at Kensington Palace on Tuesday with only his closest family — including the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall — and friends in attendance. One palace insider revealed: “This is a couple who do things quietly and below the radar. Kate is organising the special tea party and she will be the one baking the cake.”
