Prince George is set to make an appearance at his first ever public engagement on Wednesday as the royal tour kicks off to a flying start.
In what will be the first of many more public acts to come as the third-in-line to the throne, the eight-month-old will accompany his parents Prince William and Kate Middleton to a parent and baby group at Government House, the home of the Governor-General in Wellington, New Zealand.
The royal trio will meet ten families – all of which have a little baby that was born within a few weeks of little George on 22 July last year – at the playgroup.
© Photo: Getty Images"The parents are a spread of all the communities in New Zealand, including Maoris, Samoans, people of Chinese descent and gay couples," said Tristine Clark, New Zealand president of the parent support organisation Plunket.
"This is a very multi-cultural country and we wanted the Duke and Duchess to meet people from all backgrounds."
Among the mix of parents to meet William, Kate and baby are gay fathers Jared and Ryan Mullen and their daughter Isabella.
Jared, from Oregon, US, and Ryan, from Australia, were chosen to represent the growing numbers of same-sex couples in New Zealand who use Plunket's parental support services.
© Photo: Getty ImagesOne of the mums to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their little bundle of joy on Wednesday, Kate Bainbridge, has shared her excitement at meeting the royal first-time parents.
The 29-year-old said: "Even though we come from a very different background we have got a lot in common with the Duke and Duchess because we've been through the sleepless nights and we can talk to them about our experiences.
"We are all first-time parents, like them, so it should be quite easy to chat to them."
William, Kate and baby Prince George arrived in Wellington on Monday to embark on their three-week tour of New Zealand and neighbouring Australia.
