London--After 21 blissful months of one-on-one care, world media attention and carefree splashing in the Buckingham Palace pool, Prince George is facing a spot of upheaval in his gilded life -- a sibling.
Later this month, the royal toddler's mother Kate is expected to give birth to a little brother or sister who will be fourth in line to the throne.
In his latest official photos, the son of Prince William and his wife Kate appears confident and curious -- a blond tot with an impish smile.
Shielded from the cameras, the prince's rare public appearances are exhaustively reported in British media and "Gorgeous George" is a social media star.
The little boy who has helped sustain the image of a British royal family once battered by scandal has been seen at public events just three times.
The first was in July 23, 2013 when he was shown to the world wrapped in a white blanket in the arms of his radiant parents -- aged just 27 hours.
"He's got a good pair of lungs on him," the young father told a crowd of some 200 journalists outside the same private maternity ward in London where Kate plans to give birth later this month.
George's second public engagement came three months later at his Christening, followed by a family tour of Australia and New Zealand in April 2014 where the chubby-cheeked royal stole the show.
In New Zealand, he was seen playing with other babies in the residence of his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's governor-general.
On a visit to a Sydney zoo, he showed particular interest in a bilby -- an endangered animal.
AFP
