The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are due to arrive in New Zealand later today after a brief stop in Australia at the start of their tour Down Under.
Kate and William touched down at Sydney Airport to transfer after flying in from the Britain on a Qantas jet.
They have now transferred to a Royal New Zealand aircraft and are on their way to Auckland.
If there was any concern about how he might fare on the 27 hour flight, then Prince George wasn't showing it as he arrived in Australia last night.
Looking wide awake and waving his arms in delight, the third in line to the throne was bright as a button as he embarked on what will no doubt be the first of many royal tours in his lifetime.
The tiny future king was photographed by local media as he was carried onto a New Zealand Air Force jet at Sydney airport by his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge.
With his blonde hair and chubby cheeks, George is clearly the spitting image of his father, Prince William, at the same age. But Kate recently spoke proudly of how she is her son has 'Middleton eyes'.
Elegant in a Max Mara wrap dress, the Duchess also looked remarkably fresh as she carried her son up the plane's steps in her arms.
William, in a pressed blue suit, walked by her side carrying a brown leather holdall and what appeared to be a plush toy kangaroo for George.
The couple are about to embark on a three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia on behalf of the Queen - and insisted on taking their son with them.
The family left London on at 9.25pm on Saturday night on a commercial Qantas flight, taking up the whole of the First Class cabin area.
The plane briefly refuelled at Dubai before making its way onto Sydney where the couple were met by the New Zealand airforce jet that will fly them for the first 10 days of the tour.
The eight month old will be the centre of attention as his parents, William and Kate, spend the next three weeks touring New Zealand and Australia.
Eager members of the public are to be given no less than six glimpses of the tiny future king on his first royal tour, including a photo call at Government House in Wellington and a visit to the world famous Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
Despite strong republican movements in both countries, the tour has sparked a level of hysteria not seen since Prince Charles introduced his new bride, Princess Diana, and their baby son William, on a similar tour in 1983.
William, aged just nine months, won the heart of his future subjects as he crawled around a blanket on the grounds of Government House in Auckland with his toy Buzzy Bee.
And he even earned the family nickname Wombat after Diana encountered one of the famous Antipodean marsupials in Australia.
Now William is bringing his own wife and son to introduce them to the countries they may one day rule, albeit many years from now.
The family left the UK on Saturday night on a scheduled Quantas flight, taking up the entire First Class cabin.
After a brief refuelling at Dubai, they landed at Sydney Airport on Sunday morning where they were met by a New Zealand Air Force military jet for the three-hour flight to New Zealand.
It will also transport them around the country for the next 10 days.
Dressed comfortably for the long haul flight, Kate wore a grey patterned wrap dress by upmarket High Street label MaxMara which features a V-shaped neckline and ruched detailing at the waist.
The Duchess previously wore the form fitting number while pregnant with the young Prince during a visit to Hope House in South-West London in February last year.
Although the three week trip, undertaken on behalf of the Queen, has been more than a year in the planning, it has very much been designed with baby George in mind, according to aides.
And instead of hawking themselves from city to city, as is customary on overseas royal visits, William and Kate will base their young son in three different ‘hubs’: Wellington, Sydney and Canberra.
The arrangement means his doting parents will be able to travel back to see George almost every night – bar a stop-over in Queenstown, New Zealand, and another at Ayers Rock in Australia.
‘It’s a long way to go and [would mean] a long time away from their son,’ the couple’s private secretary, Miguel Head, said earlier this month.
‘The tour has been designed with Prince George’s consideration and comfort in mind.
‘Taking a nine month old on a Royal tour is not a first, but it has not happened in this Royal Family’s context for many, many years so there has been much to think about – as any new parent travelling long distance will recognise.’
Royal aides have warned that George’s scheduled public appearances are open to change given his young age and the fact that no-one knows how he will cope with the long journey and time difference.
Sources have told Mail Online that the little prince is also teething – as well as starting to crawl - which will only add to the unpredictability.
But he is, generally, a happy little boy say friends of the couple, who as adept to taking everything in is stride – a trait that is sure to stand him in good stead in later life.
Discussing his official public appearances, which will include two official photocalls as well as four brief glimpses as he embarks and disembarks from the planes, Mr Head added: ‘One or two engagements across the three weeks have been identified as times when the Duke and Duchess might take Prince George along, too.
'But George being just a little over eight-months-old by the time they travel, I’m sure you will appreciate that the couple will have to make a final decision on those moments much closer to the time.
‘The Duke and Duchess are content enough to know that he will be with them in the two countries.’
In contrast the Queen was forced to leave her two eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, then aged five and three, for six months when she embarked on a marathon Commonwealth tour in 1953, shortly after her Coronation.
As royal heirs tend not to travel together for reasons of security, the monarch has also given her permission for George, who is third in line to the throne, to fly with his father and mother.
‘Although there is some precedent the Queen has to give permission for this to happen [and] that is indeed what has happened,’ said Mr Head.
Unlike William’s visit with his parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, this latest tour has been designed to be casual and informal.
Although the young royals are expected to draw huge crowds, there will be no black tie events - and certainly no tiaras – which will come, no doubt, as a disappointment to Kate’s many fashion-watchers.
Indeed, aside from two ‘smart-ish’ receptions, the emphasis is on low-key ‘meet and greets’, designed to allow the couple to shake hands with as many members of the public as possible.
After disembarking in Wellington the couple will enjoy a traditional ceremonial welcome at Government House, before spending the next day privately, trying to beat their jet leg.
The tour will begin in earnest on April 9 when George undertakes his first official engagement of which is likely to be a long royal career.
In the grounds of Government House he will attend an event to recognise the work of the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, which provides healthcare and support to new parents. Other mothers and their babies of the same age will be present.
William and Kate will attend a number of military engagements and receptions during their time in New Zealand as well take part in a yacht race in Auckland and some exhilarating 50 mph white water rafting on the Shotover River near Queenstown.
Outlining the yacht race, which is designed to highlight New Zealand’s outstanding Americas Cup successes, Mr Head said: ‘The couple will arrive at the Emirates Team New Zealand base and board a boat that will take them to two of the team’s yachts – the Duke on one, the Duchess on the other.
‘There will be a number of ‘informal’ match races between the two racing yachts. As everyone probably knows, however, the Duke and Duchess are just a little competitive….’
The family’s first stop in Australia is Sydney, where they will spend the majority of their nine-day visit, but will also take in the stunning Blue Mountains, devastated by bushfires.
Kate will also visit a children’s hospice and then join her husband on Manly Beach to celebrate the work of Australia’s world famous lifeguards.
It is hoped that George will undertake another official engagement while in Australia when he visits Taronga Zoo where the Bilby (a native, long-eared rat-type marsupial) Enclosure was named after the little prince when he was born.
But the baby will be left behind when the couple visit the legendary Ayer’s Rock, or Uluru as it is known by the Aboriginal population and enjoy a night’s ‘glamping’ in a luxury resort.
After a night away, the family will be reunited for the final two legs of the tour in Adelaide and Canberra.
The tour party will be relatively small compared to traditional royal tours with two private secretaries (one each for the Duke and Duchess), three press officers, a tour secretary and an orderly to help manage the logistics. The Queen’s former adviser, Sir David Manning, will also be on hand to guide the couple.
Kate will not be taking a dresser – preferring to organise her necessarily extensive wardrobe herself – but will take a personal assistant and her hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker.
Although the idea of employing someone to organise your wardrobe seems rather archaic, the Duchess is likely to have around 32 changes of dress during the 45 plus engagement trip – sometimes having to swap outfits two or three times a day.
And with the eyes of the world fixed on whatever she wears, she cannot afford to put a foot wrong.
According to sources she is sticking to tried and trusted favourites such as Jenny Packham, Emilia Wickstead and High Street stores such as LK Bennett. But she also plans to showcase some local designers.
Kate has never visited either country before and is said to be ‘hugely excited’ at the prospect of the trip.
Outlining the couples’ programme Mr Head said: ‘This visit….represents a wonderful opportunity on the one hand for The Duke to deepen his personal relationship with, and admiration for New Zealand and Australia and, on the other, for the Duchess to experience some of the extraordinary warmth and hospitality for which the people of both countries are renowned the world over.
‘There is no hiding the enthusiasm for this visit by both The Duke and The Duchess. The Duke because he has been here before, and the Duchess because she has never been to either country but has wanted to do so as long as she can remember.
‘The Duke has no doubt that his wife will fall in love with New Zealand and Australia every bit as much as he did.’
So far there have been only a couple of minor hiccups – including a diplomatic spat with the King of the Maoris who pulled out of a planned meeting with the Duke and Duchess as he felt aggrieved they could only ‘spare’ him ninety minutes out of their busy schedule.
The country’s Prime Minister John Key intervened, insisting that it was actually a rather generous offer given the hectic nature of the timetable, but the meeting has not be re-arranged.
The New Zealand government has also come under fire from the former head of Scotland Yard’s royalty and diplomatic protection unit, Dai Davies, for releasing a minute by minute schedule and maps of their public appearance, describing them as a ‘gift’ to terrorists.
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