Prince William has revealed that he hopes to take his three-week-old son Prince George to Australia next year, for the newborn's first official tour abroad, following in his late mother Princess Diana's footsteps.
The new father greeted excited crowds and stopped to chat to Australian tourists at the Anglesey agricultural show, where the royal was making his first public appearance since the birth of Prince George.
Max and Maxine Davies of Victor Harbor near Adelaide congratulated Prince William on his new arrival, and asked how his son was doing.
"George is doing really well, thank you," said Prince William, and after asking where the couple were from, said, "We hope to go there next year.""We are on holiday here and can't believe we got to talk to him," said Maxine, after the encounter. "How wonderful that the family will come to Australia to visit.
"Prince William made the same long-haul trip when he was just nine months old, brought by Prince Charles and Princess Diana. It is widely thought that the new father and his wife Kate Middleton have been planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand for early 2014.This may come due to the Queen, 87, recently making her first move to pull back from royal engagements. The reigning monarch announced that she would not attend the Commonwealth heads of state meeting in Sri Lanka in November — the first one she'll have missed for 40 years.
Prince William's visit to Anglesey marks one of the last times the royal will make a public appearance on the island, where he has been stationed as a search and rescue pilot since 2009.The charming royal is due to end his tour of duty at Anglesey in September, and gave an emotional speech thanking the locals for their warm welcoming.
"I know that I speak for Catherine when I say I have never in my life known somewhere as beautiful and as welcoming as Anglesey," said Prince William. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making my wife and me so welcome when we arrived here, as you do thousands of visitors each year.
This island had been our first home together, and it will always be an immensely special place for us both. "Catherine and I look forward to returning again and again over the coming years with our family."
