Britain's Prince William, his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and their son Prince George disembark from their plane after arriving in Wellington April 7, 2014. The Prince and his wife Kate are undertaking a 19-day official visit to New Zealand and Australia with their son George. Photo: Reuters.

Britain's Prince William, his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and their son Prince George disembark from their plane after arriving in Wellington April 7, 2014. Photo: Reuters.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, holds her son Prince George after disembarking their plane with her husband Britain's Prince William in Wellington April 7, 2014.

He may have inherited his mother's eye colour, but, otherwise, Prince George is very much his father's son, as the media had a chance to see yesterday when he arrived in New Zealand. The eight-month-old future king bore a striking resemblance to Prince William.

George, who has not attended an official event since his christening in October, has inherited the Duke's hair colour, chubby cheeks and round face, but while the Duke has blue eyes, his son has brown eyes like his mum Kate Middleton.

A lifetime of duty began for Prince George on the rain-soaked tarmac of Wellington Airport as he notched up his first ever public engagement.

George appeared to have travelled well, looking contented, if a little chilly in shorts and bare legs, kicking his feet and waving his arms as his mother carried him into the airport's military terminal.

Perhaps aware that she would be upstaged by her son, she chose a striking red Catherine Walker coat and matching hat by Gina Foster, accessorised with a diamond brooch in the shape of New Zealand's national symbol, the silver fern, lent to her by the queen.

The effect of the duchess's outfit, George's all-white ensemble and the Duke's choice of a navy blue suit was a distinctly British colour scheme, at a time when New Zealand is debating dropping the Union Jack from its national flag. Aides insisted it was a coincidence. The Duchess's choice of dress designer was a neat link with her husband's own tour of New Zealand as a baby in 1983. His mother Diana, Princess of Wales, had more than 1,000 Catherine Walker outfits and was buried in a Catherine Walker dress.

From the airport the family was taken to Government House in Wellington, the residence of the Governor General, for a traditional Maori welcome. Along their route, few New Zealanders had braved cold, wet and foggy weather to cheer them on, making their arrival a low-key affair. (© Daily Telegraph, London)

Irish Independent