Prince George photos: First official shots released

Photos were taken by Duchess's father Michael Middleton at the family home in Berkshire

The first official photos of Prince George have been released - and, cradled in his mother's arms, he appears as if does not have a care in the world.

Lying peacefully in the arms of the Duchess of Cambridge, the newborn, who is third in line to the throne, seems to be sleeping, oblivious to what is going on around him or the duties that will one day be expected of him.

The Duke of Cambridge stands to the left of his wife in both photographs, looking on proudly with a protective arm around Kate.

The intimate pictures were taken by Kate's father Michael Middleton in a shady spot of the garden of the family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, earlier this month.

Kate, wearing a long Seraphine maroon dress and with her long hair in waves over her shoulders and William in jeans and a blue gingham shirt with the top buttons undone, are both smiling directly into the camera.

Wrapped in a white blanket similar to the one he was in when he was brought out of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, central London, the day after he was born, the only part of George that can be seen is his head, which is crowned by a soft layer of hair.

In one of the photos, the royal couple are joined by their black cocker spaniel Lupo while Tilly, a golden retriever belonging to the Middleton family, can be seen lying down behind them.

The couple look relaxed and are sitting on the lawn with bright sunlight and the garden behind them, while William has one arm around his wife and the other around Lupo.

In the second, more formal, photo, Kate and William are both standing up, their faces framed by the bright green leaves of the trees around them.

The photos were released by Kensington Palace exactly four weeks after George was born.

In his first interview since he became a father, William said his young son reminded him of himself or Prince Harry.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 2013 with Prince George (PA)

The Duke told CNN: “He's a little bit of a rascal, I'll put it that way.

“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.”

William described George as a “little fighter” and said he was “ growing quite quickly”.

“He kind of, 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.”

William, who said Kate was doing a “fantastic job”, said he believed fatherhood has changed him already.

“I think the last few weeks for me have been just a very different emotional experience,” he said.

“Something I never thought I would feel myself. And I find, again it's only been a short period, but a lot of things affect me differently now. ”

PA

The Prince and Princess of Wales amuse baby Prince William

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George

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Video: Royal photographer on Prince George pictures