Advertisement

One Is One: Prince George's First Birthday

William and Kate have released two new family photographs to mark Prince George's first birthday.

And the couple have taken the opportunity to thank everyone in the past year for their "warm and generous wishes".

Taken in recent weeks at the Natural History Museum's Sensational Butterflies exhibition, the photos show the one-year-old reaching out, seemingly mesmerised by the butterflies around him.

In the second of two portraits, the third-in-line to the throne is reaching out to touch a butterfly which had landed on his father's hand.

And like most mums, the Duchess of Cambridge seems completely at ease with a large patch of dribble her son had deposited on her shoulder.

On Saturday, Kensington Palace released a third photo from the Cambridge family outing to the museum, for whom the Duchess is Patron.

It showed the future king walking unaided in a pair of blue dungarees.

The Duke and Duchess said: "We would like to take this opportunity on George's first birthday to thank everyone over the last year, wherever we have met them, both at home and overseas, for their warm and generous good wishes to George and our family."

The set of photos completes the end of a steep learning curve for new royal parents, which began 12 months ago at the private Lindo maternity Wing at Paddington's St Mary's Hospital.

Prince George was born at 4.24pm on July 22, weighing 8lbs 6oz, but it was not until the following day that William and Kate emerged from hospital to introduce their son to the world.

Having had the Queen's approval during a visit to Kensington Palace, William and Kate named their son George Alexander Louis, Prince George of Cambridge.

As a family, the Cambridges spent the first few weeks of Prince George's life at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury in Berkshire, where their first family photos were taken by Kate's father, Michael.

George was three months old when he made his next public appearance, his christening at the Chapel Royal in St James' Palace.

In a historic moment later that day at Clarence House, Prince George was photographed alongside all heirs to the throne: his father, grandfather and great grandmother, the Queen.

But it was in Australia and New Zealand, during his parents' official tour down under, where Prince George conducted his first public engagement.

Alongside children his own age during a play-date at Wellington's Government House, the then nine-month-old wrestled with toys and made a little girl cry, earning a reputation as a headstrong little boy.

His second took place at Taronga Zoo in Sydney where he came face to face with the endangered Bilby.

The birthday boy is due to be guest of honour at a party at Kensington Palace on Tuesday.