Royals

Prince George takes his first steps

Prince George takes his first steps – with a little help from mum.
Prince-George-of-Cambridge

It’s a magic milestone in any child’s life – those first faltering steps taken on wobbly little legs.

And it’s an achievement young Prince George has just notched up, showing off his new skills – with a bit of help from his proud mum, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge – last week.

The pair were watching dad Prince William and uncle Prince Harry play a polo match in Gloucestershire, and during the sighting of George, who hasn’t been spotted since his trip to New Zealand and Australia in April, the 11-month-old delighted onlookers by taking a few tentative steps while clutching his mum’s hand.

We featured the adorable tot and his mum on the cover of New Zealand Woman’s Weekly June 30 issue.

As well as toddling about, the future king attempted to kick a soft toy football and wave a polo mallet about. At one point, he suffered a minor meltdown and burst into tears, but a quick cuddle from mum soothed the little prince, and he looked happy as he practised his newfound walking skills.

While her son is taking his first steps, Kate is gearing up to take the next steps in her life. With George about to turn one and in a good routine with nanny Maria Borrallo, it was expected Kate would be available to carry out more official duties and perhaps take on extra causes on top of the seven charities she already supports.

But royal sources say she has decided not to take on extra work so she can be around as much as possible for George at this crucial stage in his life, and also to support William.

Kate wants to be around as much as possible for George, and also to support William.

The prince, who left his job as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in the RAF nine months ago, may be about to get back behind the helicopter controls – this time as an air ambulance pilot. William really misses flying, says an insider.

“He has also missed the camaraderie of his air-sea rescue days in North Wales.”

Kate has previously admitted she worries about her husband when he’s on rescue missions, but will always support his choice to do a rewarding and potentially dangerous job.

“I find it very difficult. You always fear for them, not knowing if something is going to happen, and it can be very hard,” she said to a fellow service wife during their first overseas tour to Canada in 2011. “But my job is to support my husband.”

If William does decide to work for The Air Ambulance Service, it’s possible he’ll be based at the branch in East Anglia, which is near their new country home, Anmer Hall.

Wills and Kate are looking to spend more time at their new country home, Anmer Hall.

That will mean the family is likely to spend more time at Anmer than their main home at Kensington Palace.

Renovations on the Georgian manor are just about finished and the family is expected to be able to use it from August. Being based at Anmer Hall, which is part of the Queen’s Sandringham estate, will no doubt suit Kate – they will have more privacy there and should be able to carry on with daily life like any other young family.

Kate is keen to re-create the childhood she had, and living at Anmer Hall will make that easier, says the source.

“Kate and her siblings, Pippa and James, had a very happy childhood and that’s what she wants for George. Her mother, Carole, was always around for her children and that’s the kind of mum Kate wants to be.”

But the duchess is also aware of her royal commitments and how in demand she is. She will attend as many functions as she can, but is likely to arrange her time so she works in “bursts”, doing several engagements over the space of a few days, as she has done recently.

In six days, Kate attended four high-profile events, from a garden party at Buckingham Palace and a visit to the Maritime Museum, through to the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

Kate had a very happy childhood with sister Pippa, seen here, and that’s what she wants for George.

She also joined other members of the royal family for the annual Order of the Garter service at Windsor Castle, where she looked on as William donned velvet ceremonial robes and took part in a traditional procession.

In between those events, she found time to take George to his dad’s polo game, where she looked a lot more casual in her favourite skinny jeans and a blue and white striped top.

The busy duchess’ next set of engagements includes waving off competitors in the Tour de France.

Although she may not have been seen much in public, Kate is still working behind the scenes. She recently attended a forum for charities, but because it was a private event, her participation was not covered by the media.

Kate has been busy with charity and administrative work since returning to the UK after the successful New Zealand and Australia royal tour.

She has also been catching up on administrative work since returning to the UK after the hugely successful trip to New Zealand and Australia.

“Both the duke and duchess took some time off after the big Down Under tour,” says a royal spokesperson. “But since then, the duchess has been making sure she thanks all the people who gave them gifts, and seeing that the thank you letters go to the right place. She always has a lot of correspondence, as well as keeping in touch with her charities and getting updates from them.”

But Kate will no doubt find time to organise George’s first birthday party, and with her family’s background in the party and event-planning business, it is likely to be a memorable occasion.

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