All eyes were on Prince George as he left New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon with his parents Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton.
The eight-month-old caused great excitement among royal watchers when he was seen being carried up the plane in the arms of his father William — a fresh change to when the royal family landed in Wellington at the start of their tour, with George being cradled by Kate.
CLICK ROYAL TOUR IMAGES FOR GALLERY:
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince William carries Prince George
Members of the public, who had waited patiently at the Wellington Military Terminal in the hope of getting a last glimpse of the family, had only seen baby George twice during the royal tour of New Zealand, with the most recent being his playdate with other tots at Government House.William, Kate and George were heading to Sydney, Australia for the second half of their trip.
Prince George named most influential tot wearing a cream sweater and navy shorts, George looked his usual adorable self. The fair-haired boy gazed up in wonder at the plane as he bounced around in his father's arms, and looked as if he had just woken from his nap. Earlier on in the day, Kate had apologised to locals she met, saying that her "podgy baby" George was sleeping.
In spite of William's previous comments that his firstborn had "quite the pair of lungs" and "was most vocal at 3am," little George behaved as good as gold as he left New Zealand.
Kate walked alongside her husband and opted to match her royal tot in a navy outfit. The Duchess looked the epitome of chic in her tweed navy blazer and skirt ensemble made by Kiwi designer Rebecca Taylor. She kept half her brunette locks swept up, to prevent any hair falling in front of her face given the strong gusts of wind.
© Photo: Getty ImagesKate, Prince William and Prince George
GALLERY: A recap of Kate's beautiful New Zealand tour outfits
William looked emotional to be leaving New Zealand, the place he had called a "beautiful country" and had desperately wanted his wife to visit. Sporting a dark suit and maroon tie, the Duke looked dapper as he graciously thanked airport personnel around him.
The royal entourage were pictured boarding the plane and waving their final goodbye to their hosts in New Zealand from the top of the steps. They departed the capital on a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft at 1pm local time, bound for Sydney.
After a three-hour long flight, William, Kate and George were scheduled to arrive at the Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney at 2:30pm local time.
William and Kate's full itinerary revealed
© Photo: Getty ImagesEarlier they got many gifts for their son George
The Duke and Duchess headed straight to their first engagement at the iconic Sydney Opera House where they received a warm welcome by the governor.
The royal family will remain in Australia until Friday 25 April.Earlier on Wednesday, William and Kate had paid a final visit to the New Zealand capital. The Duke and Duchess were given a tour of the Royal New Zealand Police College where they paid tribute to officers killed in duty and viewed practice demonstrations by policemen. William and Kate melted hearts when they were seen cuddling up to police puppies outside the college and pictured stroking them relentlessly. The royal couple then headed to Civic Square where they had a final walkabout through Wellington, meeting and chatting to locals, followed by the signing of the city' visitors' book.
