Yes, Kate Middleton has impeccable style and yes, we’re thrilled to see her clever sartorial references to Princess Diana and the Queen, but let’s not kid ourselves: the real star of the royal tour is our favorite petit prince. On Monday, April 7, baby George appeared at his first official engagement, disembarking from the royal plane in his mama’s loving arms—and the world cooed in unison.
Needless to say, we’re already counting the hours until the nearly-nine-month-old’s next appearance, though it’s not entirely clear when that will be. While the Prince’s private secretary has identified the occasions at which the little tot might be present, any parent knows that when it comes to babies, nothing is certain: “George being just a little over eight months old by the time they travel, I’m sure you will appreciate that the couple will have to make a final decision on those moments much closer to the time,” he warned.
That said, we’re pretty hopeful we’ll get to witness the royals’ first family trip to the zoo. (Yes, they’re just like the rest of us, apart from that whole nine-month-old-with-a-private-secretary thing.) One of the engagements tagged as a potential Prince George sighting is the opening of the Bilby Enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. According to palace officials, the enclosure is to be named after the teeniest royal. When the prince was born, the Australian government donated to the zoo’s bilby preservation program in his honor.
According to the Taronga Zoo’s website, the Australian government has even designated a bilby (a native nocturnal marsupial with long rabbit-like ears) for baby George to “adopt.” (Another difference between us regular folks and the royal family: while most kids are lucky to get a pet hamster, Georgie scores a rare endangered animal.) However, we do have a feeling Kate, Will and George won’t be returning from Down Under with a mini marsupial in tow. After all, the family’s cocker spaniel Lupo might be jealous, or customs officials might ground the plane