It was a very special day for one young member of the royal family on Thursday, when they undertook their very first official engagement. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia's son Prince Alexander, at the age of two, carried out his first royal duty when he inaugurated his christening gift from the Province of Södermanland. Alexander, who is styled as His Royal Highness Prince Alexander of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland, went to visit the Nynäs nature reserve, and took part in a walkabout to meet well-wishers. The little prince looked delighted to sit in a horse and carriage in-between his doting parents, dressed in a striped shirt and chinos for the occasion.
Prince Alexander stole the show during his first engagement
A natural with the public, Alexander delighted the crowds by perfecting his royal wave, much like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's three-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte. The little boy was also taken with a plastic duck at the nature reserve, and was pictured sitting on it in one adorable photo. The Swedish royals have a tradition of carrying out engagements from a very young age. Alexander's cousins Princess Estelle, the six-year-old daughter of Crown Princess Victoria, and Princess Leonore, the four-year-old daughter of Princess Madeleine, both visited their duchies at the tender age of two.
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He even perfected his royal wave!
In a similar way, the British royal family also carry out engagements from a young age. Prince William and Kate's son, Prince George, who is third-in-line to the throne, was around the same age when he attended the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire. George's very first public engagement however took place overseas in April 2014, when the future King attended a play date in his honour during his parents' tour of Australia and New Zealand.
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Alexander turned two on 19 April, and is the eldest son of Carl and Sophia. The royal couple welcomed their second baby boy, Prince Gabriel, on 31 August 2017. Little Gabriel will be celebrating his own milestone next week when he turns one.
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