A look back at Prince George’s first year

Britain's Prince George will celebrate his first birthday on Tuesday, bringing to a close an eventful first year of life for the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

George, the third in line to the British throne, was born on July 22, 2013 amid a global media frenzy, reflecting the international popularity of his parents and the ongoing fascination with the British royal family.

The world's media camped outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's hospital in central London for a couple of weeks awaiting his birth.

The day after he was born, Prince George Alexander Louis was carried out by the proud parents to meet the press on July 23 and the crowd cheered wildly as his mother, Kate, handed over the bundled-up baby into the arms of Prince William.

In August, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released two informal family snapshots as the first official photos of their son. Instead of a traditional formal photograph, the couple released two shots taken by the duchess's father, Michael Middleton, in early August in the garden of her family home in Berkshire.

One of the photos shows the couple sitting on a picnic blanket with Kate again holding a sleeping Prince George. With them is their beloved black cocker spaniel, Lupo, while the Middleton family's golden retriever, Tilly, lolls at one side.

The photos were released a day after Prince William gave his first interview since the birth, describing his son as a "little bit of a rascal" who does not want to go to sleep.

On October 23, three-month-old Prince George was christened in a private low-key service at Chapel Royal inside St James's Palace.

The venue was a break with royal tradition, which normally sees high-ranking royal christenings take place in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace. The Chapel Royal was where Princess Diana's body lay before her funeral.

On April 7 the royal couple and their eight-month-old son Prince George arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, to begin a 10-day tour of New Zealand.

The Duchess appeared in a bright red pill box hat and coat, which local media have identified as being by Catherine Walker, billowing in the wind as she came down the stairs carrying baby George. She also sported a golden New Zealand fern brooch on her coat.

Prince George mingled with ten other babies and their parents on April 9, during his first public engagement after his christening.

The eight-month-old prince took center stage at the Government House in Wellington as he crawled confidently and happily among other children, while his mother Kate watched on.

Prince George then traveled on to Australia with his parents.

He performed his first official duty on a visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney on April 20.

The then-eight-month-old future king of England helped to unveiled a plaque commemorating the dedication of the Prince George Bilby Exhibit.

The prince appeared fascinated by a bilby in an enclosure nearby before he was handed over to the nanny for a sleep, local media reported.

Kensington Palace released on Saturday (July 19), a still photograph of Prince George visiting the "Sensational Butterflies" exhibit at London's Natural History Museum as part of a series of three official photographs to mark his first birthday.

The photo, taken by Press Association photographer John Stillwell, shows George wearing a dark blue t-shirt under denim dungarees and walking along a stone path during the visit with his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The remaining two photographs will be released on Monday (July 21), the eve of the young prince's first birthday. — Reuters