Prince William and Kate release adorable pictures of Prince George as he turns three
ADORABLE new pictures showing Prince George playing on a swing and cheekily feeding the family dog Lupo an ice cream have been released by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to mark their son's third birthday.
William and Kate thanked well-wishers for messages of support they have received marking their eldest child's milestone on Friday.
Four images have been issued by the royal couple showing the young prince in the grounds of their Norfolk home Anmer Hall.
The first shows the Prince, who is third-in-line to the throne, playing on a swing which is believed to have been a wedding gift to his parents, while another shows him with family pet, Lupo.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: "The Duke and Duchess hope that people will enjoy seeing these new photographs.
"They would like to thank everyone for all the lovely messages they have received as Prince George celebrates his third birthday."
According to the , his parents William and Kate are expected to throw him a party alongside one-year-old Princess Charlotte , family and their close friends in the area.
Kate's newly engaged sister Pippa is expected to be there alongside parents Carole and Michael Middleton.
It is also thought the family may invite some of George's new friends from his nursery, £33-per-day Westacre Montessori School Nursery, which he attends a few mornings per week when the family are in the area.
The pictures, taken in mid-July by photographer Matt Porteous, show George standing barefoot on a swing. In another image he is sitting on the swing looking at the camera.
Mr Porteous said: "I really enjoyed the opportunity to take these photographs of Prince George. It was a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. I'm honoured that they have decided to share these images with the public to mark his third birthday."
In recent years the Royal household has often issued pictures taken of the Royal children by their amateur photographer mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, but this time round they were taken professionally.
The Prince, who turns three today, was last pictured when he visited the Royal International Air Tattoo show with his parents earlier this month.
George, who was wearing navy shorts and a white T-shirt, burst into tears not long after his arrival at the first day of the military air show in Gloucestershire.
Kate picked the teary toddler up as he began crying – and managed to put a smile back on his face before long.
The adorable prince played pilot as he pretended to fly one of the famous jets, proudly sitting alongside his helicopter pilot dad.
Flight Lt Hobkirk said: "Everyone was just trying to keep him happy really. There was a lot going on for him with the noise from all these aeroplanes.
"He seemed quite subdued in the end. They wanted to put him on the Duke's lap but he was having none of it.
"The Duchess suggested shutting the door to try to persuade him. But he was happy sat with his mum."
In his relatively short lifetime the Prince has also become somewhat of a fashion icon for parents who want to style their own kids in the same clobber as the royal.
George loves his knitted cardis and is almost always seen wearing shorts. On a number of occasions he has been pictured wearing outfits similar to those his dad Prince William wore as a boy.
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Just like with his mum, outfits worn by the young Prince have sold out just hours after pictures of him wearing them have been released.
George was allowed to go to bed late in order to say hello to US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama when they came to Kensington Palace for dinner back in April.
He met the President wearing pyjamas, slippers and his own personalised white dressing gown with his name on it.
William and Kate had put out the rocking horse and a stuffed black and white toy dog that the Obamas had given George.
The prince, who is enrolled in nursery for a few days a week, will soon be eligible for a free nursery place.
All three to four-year-olds in England are entitled to 570 hours of free early education or childcare per year - usually taken as 15 hours a week in term time.
He is due to start full-time school in September 2017, with the Duke revealing they are trying to decide where to send him.
Born at the private Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital on July 22 2013, George was, apparently, quite a handful as a baby and caused the Duke and Duchess endless sleepless nights.
An equally energetic toddler, it seems as if becoming an elder brother to sister Princess Charlotte, one, has calmed the little prince down somewhat.
According to , Kate recently described her son as being a 'really lovely little boy' and admitted that her daughter may look cute but was developing 'quite a feisty side'. She even said she hoped that George 'would keep Charlotte in order!'
Among his favourite things are apparently Fireman Sam, aeroplanes and helicopters and The Gruffalo.
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