New photos of Prince George released for Christmas

<![CDATA[The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have today released three new photos of Prince George for Christmas. The photos, taken in a courtyard at Kensington Palace late last month, show George dressed in shorts as well as a sleeveless blue jumper, carrying depictions of guardsmen.

The three photos are the latest of several sets issued by The Duke and Duchess over the past year. Previous releases included the photos taken at the Middleton family home shortly after the Prince was born as well as several released in July for his first birthday, taken at the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum.
The pictures were released on Saturday evening after an embargo, in time for the Sunday papers.
Prince George, now a year and (almost) five months old, has already been on his first Commonwealth tour to two of the countries he could one day be king of – Australia and New Zealand – back in April, invoking great interest both in the two countries and around the world through vast media coverage. There are no plans for any overseas tours with the young prince next year as yet, though.
The third-in-line to the throne might not be on his own the next time he joins mum and dad on a tour. He’ll be joined by a baby sibling in April next year when The Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to her second child, which will place as fourth-in-line, pushing Prince Harry down to fifth. The Duchess also suffered again from Hyperemisis Gravidarum (a severe form of morning sickness) which affected her during her first pregnancy with Prince George.

Prince William, meanwhile, has now begun his training to become an Air Ambulance pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance service. He will take exams to qualify for his Air Transport Pilot’s Licence before entering service as a co-pilot around March next year.
As well as his new Air Ambulance role, (from which he will donate his full salary – around £40,000 – to charity) Prince William will also take on an ever-increasing number of royal duties, including a greater number of overseas visits on behalf of The Queen and the Government.
The Duke has previously served as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot based in Anglesey until September last year when he retired from service at the rank of Flight Lieutenant. William had transferred his commission from the Blues and Royals to the RAF in 2009 to enable him to perform a more hands-on role within the Armed Forces (fears over his security prevented him being deployed on active service in the Army). His seven years military service has seen him serve time in each of the three Armed services (the Army, Navy and Air Force) over which he will one day be Commander in Chief.
Reports say that The Duke and Duchess and Prince George have now moved into Anmer Hall, a home on The Queen’s Sandringham Estate which will act as the family’s home in the region while William works as an Air Ambulance Pilot. The home has spent recent months undergoing renovation ahead of The Cambridges’ occupancy, with costs being met privately by The Royal Family.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s second pregnancy also meant that a much-anticipated tour of China that both she and The Duke were expected to undertake early next year will be undertaken by The Duke alone. His Royal Highness will spend three days each in China and Japan on behalf of the Government, at the end of February.
Leading up to the Christmas period, William, Kate and George are expected to join The Queen and many other members of The Royal Family at Sandringham for the festive season in the next few weeks, with nearby Anmer Hall possibly serving as their residence during the Christmas period.
Photo credit: TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/PA Wire]]>