Baby Boom

Prince George To Make Debut Public Appearance in New Zealand

There had been some debate among news organizations whether they would go to the expense and trouble of sending full crews to cover the forthcoming tour of William and Kate to Australia and New Zealand.

But now that Kensington Palace has announced that Prince George will take part in his debut public engagement when he accompanies the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to a nursery in New Zealand, a scramble for media places and plane tickets is underway.

The decision, announced yesterday afternoon, that George will make his first public appearance in Australia will ensure massive media attention on Will and Kate's trip down under, and may go some way to explaining why the baby has been kept so totally under wraps so far.

He has only been photographed three times by press photographers - once at his Christening and once at the hospital, and he was also photographed from a distance by a paparazzi when Kate changed planes in the Carribbean en route to Mustique.

The third in line to the throne is expected to join his parents on a visit to a parents and toddlers’ group in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 9. He will be almost nine months old by then.

Baby George will, however, be separated from his parents for two nights for the first time when they visit Uluru (formerly Ayer’s Rock) in Australia’s Northern Territory and Queenstown in New Zealand.

Huge crowds now seem set to greet the young royals, who will spend 10 days in each country.

The Queen has given special permission for the Duke of Cambridge and Prince George to travel on the same aircraft, as royal protocol usually dictates that direct heirs to the throne usually travel separately.

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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