SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

First official photos of Prince George

Kate Middleton's father has taken the official photos of royal baby George, which have been released by Buckingham Palace in a break with tradition.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their baby son George
Prince William and wife Catherine have released the first official photographs of their son George. (AAP)

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Prince William and his wife Catherine have released the first official photographs of their baby son George - and in a break with tradition they were taken by her father, Michael Middleton.

The intimate photographs were shot earlier this month in the garden of the Middletons' family home in rural Bucklebury, west of London, and show the newborn prince lying peacefully in his mother's arms.

George, the third in line to the throne, is wrapped in a white blanket and is apparently asleep despite the bright sunshine.

William, 31, stands to the left of his wife in both of the photographs, with an arm around her shoulders, and they are both smiling broadly.

Kate is wearing a long maroon dress and has her hair in waves over her shoulders, while William is in his familiar "off-duty" clothes - jeans and a pale blue shirt with the top buttons undone.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

In one of the shots, the couple's black cocker spaniel, Lupo, joins them while Tilly, a golden retriever belonging to the Middleton family, can be seen lying behind them.

In his first interview since the birth, William said George was "a rascal" and admitted that the responsibility of being a father had changed him already.

"He's a little bit of a rascal, I'll put it that way," he told CNN in an interview shown on Monday.

"He either reminds me of my brother or me when I was younger, I'm not sure, but he's doing very well at the moment.

"He wriggles around quite a lot," he said. "And he doesn't want to go to sleep that much, which is a little bit of a problem."

The fact that Kate's father, and George's grandfather, took the photographs is a radical departure for the royals, who have traditionally relied on professionals for the first official shots of new additions to the family.

Little is known how much experience Michael Middleton - the British Airways flight dispatcher-turned-businessman - has behind the lens.

Martin Keene, head of pictures at the British Press Association agency which distributed the shots, said they were impressive.

"Any photographer would have been pleased to have taken them," he said, although some observers said both photographs were overexposed and one was slightly out of focus.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world