George's offical photos take on Europe

The first official photos of Prince George are now available for everyone to see - but can we really see that much more than we did on the lovely summer evening when his parents took him home from hospital and showed him off to the world for the first time?  Because unlike the official photos of Prince William and Prince Harry, there's no close up, there's no eyes wide open, there's no full face shot.  Instead, royal watchers eager to see who he looks like will have to do some zooming all of their own to get a better look.

 

A zoom in on one of the official photos of Prince George as he sleeps in his mother's arms

 

These are the first unofficial official photos of a Windsor baby for a long time.  William and Harry were both snapped for the first time by professional photographers.  But there was a family connections as William's first poses were captured by his great aunt Margaret's former husband, Lord Snowden.

First photos of William as a baby - the famous picture of him with Diana was taken by Anthony Armstrong-Jones, the earl of Snowden

 

Brand new grandfather Prince Charles' first official photo was by another famous professional snapper, Cecil Beaton, in 1948 who snapped all of the Queen's children for the portraits which introduced them to the world. 

 

 

Prince Charles almost looks at the camera for his first official photograph in 1948

 

No close ups there but a full face shot and eyes open so we can all get a good look at how the baby looks.  Which is what's missing from the photos of George.  Other European royals have given us a closer look at their firstborns - Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands was asleep but very near the camera for one of her debut shots.

 

 

 

The future queen of the Netherlands, Amalia, in her first appearance before the cameras. 

 

She slept as did Elisabeth of Belgium though as her parents gave the press access to a longish photo shoot immediately after her birth, there were enough photos of her from every angle to satisfy even the most hard core royal photo watcher.

 

 

Asleep but full face to the camera, future queen of the Belgians Elisabeth in her first portraits

 

Other monarchies have chosen to go for the full on facial close up for the first snaps.  Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway was shown staring right into the camera for her debut official portrait.

 

 

 Ingrid Alexandra of Norway looking straight at the camera for her first official photo in 2004

 

And Prince Christian of Denmark was captured looking straight at the lens for one of his official portraits following his birth in October 2005.

 

 

 

Christian of Denmark makes an official appearance soon after his birth but before his name was confirmed

 

Leonor of Spain joined the sleeping through the snaps club but mum and dad, Felipe and Letizia, did issue a close up of the little girl in her first official portraits, taken the day she came home from hospital following her arrival in October 2005.

 

 

Leonor snoozes through her first official picture session

 

And Estelle of Sweden followed the trend.  Her parents have released a lot of pictures of the future queen in the year and a half since her birth but the first ones followed the traditional royal pattern of mum and dad all spruced up and a nice close up of baby to end with.

 





 

Estelle of Sweden in one of her first official portraits following her birth in February 2012

 







These snaps of future kings and queens will follow them around for the rest of their lives.  Every big milestone from first day at school to royal wedding will see the first official photos used and re-used as their royal progress through life is tracked.  They become so familiar we almost stop looking at them properly when they appear in papers or on TV.  So to have something so informal and tradition free could well be a bit of a breath of fresh air for little George in years to come when he sees every part of his life played out as he reaches another big day. 

Get used to the smiles, you'll be seeing this photo a lot over the next 100 or so years

 

And his won't be the only first picture of a British king or queen to be taken by newly world famous photographer Michael Middleton.  He was of course responsible for another very well known baby snap showing newly arrived Kate with mum Carole back in 1982.  There wasn't quite so much pressure on him taking those pictures but they've become as famous as the ones he's just taken in the back garden of his daughter and her little boy.

Future queen consort, Kate Middleton, in one of her first photographs taken by the now world famous snapper, dad Michael