Prince George's first royal engagement and he finds it a toddle

By Mirror

New Zealand: Prince George is still crawling but on Wednesday, at his first-ever public engagement, he showed he’s made great strides towards realising he is a bit special.

The eight-month-old future king worked the room like a seasoned Windsor as he joined other babies at a playgroup set up in his honour during the royal tour of New Zealand.

And the adorable prince is already breaking hearts .

He touched the face of tot Paige Stevens, then grabbed her toy before dropping it on the floor, which made the little girl cry.

Grant Collinge, one of the delighted dads who met George and his proud parents William and Kate at the playgroup, said, “George is bubbly, quite feisty and he took control.

“He crawled to the centre of the room and he owned the place.

“He homed in on certain toys and took the ones that he wanted. No one was going to stand in his way.”

Grant added, “The duchess said George had never played with so many babies before.”

Wills and Kate revealed to the parents that their lad has four or five teeth coming through, he is sleeping well now that he is on solids, and at night he is tucked up in bed and given his bottle by his dad.

The little prince impressed the parents of the 10 other babies as he cheerily crawled around.

One of the mums, Sheila Lemalie, said, “It was a very special time. We had a chance to cuddle George. He is very strong and very advanced.

“We talked to the duke and duchess about parenting – and to the duchess about her role as a mother and a royal. She said she was lucky to have help with George from her family and her friends. She is very down-to-earth and charming – they both are.

“Prince William said he supported his wife by giving George his bottle at night and putting him to bed.

“I was very nervous because this was my first time meeting royalty. I feel very special.”

She added, “Different children develop differently but George is very advanced for his age.

“He was almost trying to walk. He can pull himself up so he is almost there.”

Kate looked elegant in a black and white Tory Burch dress, chosen because they are the national colours of New Zealand.

As nanny Maria Borrallo, right, looked on from the sidelines, Kate popped George on the grey carpet in the Blundell Room and he made a beeline for the toys – and the girls.

Gay parents Jared Mullen and Ryan McRae said their baby daughter Isabella quickly struck up a friendship with the prince.

Beaming Jared added, “They had a little play together, they were chums. The duke and duchess were lovely, and George is a lovely little boy – very intrepid.”

The only gran there, Tina Birch, chatted to Wills about who does what in the Cambridge household. Tina said Wills told her he “mashes the potatoes and the veggies” for his son.

The royals – on a three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia – joined the playgroup after a break at a luxury lodge to recover from the 30-hour journey from London.