He gurgled. He grabbed. He dribbled.
He even took a few wobbly first steps (with a little assistance from his mum, of course).
And there was just one breach of baby protocol - when he made a little girl cry by grabbing her wooden doll (shades of Prince Philip perhaps?)
Ah well, the poor chap was teething, or so his mum said.
Yes, an 8-month-old child of royal descent spent an hour crawling around on the floor of a country in the far south of the globe Wednesday, and the world (OK, sections of it) went baby bananas.
Prince George began a lifetime of public service Wednesday when he joined New Zealanders Amelia, Sophie, Isabella, and Paige for a little roam around the floor of Government House on all fours, and the enthusiastic chewing of some plastic toys (it was Paige from who he swiped the doll, resulting in tears).
Showing that he is a natural in the role to which he has been thrust, baby George was immaculately behaved on his first ever royal engagement, as he met a diverse range of kids when he arrived at Government House in New Zealand to participate in a playgroup organized by the N.Z. child group Plunket.
While some of the children, all of whom were born within a few days of the prince, got right down to the business of smashing toys and chewing ankles, George, dressed in a classic pair of mini-dungarees, a short sleeved white shirt, and blue shoes, chose to spend the first half of his debut in the arms of his mother.
However, after 20 minutes or so, his gregarious nature shone through, and as Kate sat on the floor casting a watchful eye, he set off to investigate the commoners populating this realm of his grandmother’s.
It was the big reveal for Prince George, and his first public engagement after eight months in which the young royals have done an extraordinary job keeping him away from public view.
William Kate and George had spent Tuesday recuperating at Wharekauhau Lodge and looked refreshed and ready for their engagement Wednesday.The Plunket group is a charity that promotes child welfare in New Zealand. The group said in a statement: “Children get valuable educational and social experiences and parents get to meet and make new friends and share experiences. There are more than 180 Plunket playgroups throughout the country so they can be found in many communities. Most groups meet weekly and some fortnightly.”
