Believe it or not , it has been almost a year since the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis , the son of Britain 's Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge , the former Kate Middleton . The baby is third in line to the British throne , behind his father and his grandfather , Prince Charles . Ahead of his first birthday on July 22 , three new photos are being released by the UK 's Press Association . One , showing the smallest royal dressed in blue and taking a step , was released on Saturday . The Press Association promises two more pictures Monday . Here are five interesting things you might not know about the royal tyke . 1 . Baby George had a low-key birth , relatively speaking . As the Duchess of Cambridge went into labor , Prince William drove her to the hospital in an unmarked minivan -- with minimal security and without a royal entourage -- from Kensington Palace to the back entrance of Saint Mary 's Hospital . Even more down-to-earth ? The announcement of Prince George 's birth first came through e-mail and Twitter . It was truly a digital moment , according to CNN 's Max Foster , who reported live from the hospital that day . The duchess , with Prince William present , delivered the baby boy at 4:24 p.m . He weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces . The couple later announced he would be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge . Prince William 's first interview as a dad . What 's in a royal name ? 2 . His early days were not spent at the royal palace . Despite the tradition that royal newborns spend their first days inside palace walls , Prince George spent his at the duchess ' family home in the village of Bucklebury . The decision was reportedly met with protest from the highest ranks in the royal family , including Queen Elizabeth II . Though there was a colossal security presence outside the home , inside it remained just the family . Kate 's mother , Carole Middleton , took on the all-important role of royal nanny while her father , Michael , became the royal photographer . But the intimate family setting did not last long -- Prince William was back to work with the Royal Air Force by August 15 . 3 . Prince George has a special connection with Princess Diana . Prince George 's christening was held on October 23 at the Chapel Royal at St. James 's Palace . That location was no coincidence ; it was where the body of Prince William 's mother , Princess Diana , lay at rest in the days leading up to her funeral in 1997 . The event also set the stage for the epic portrait of Queen Elizabeth and her three direct heirs , Princes Charles , William and George . It was the first time a reigning Queen and three generations of heirs were photographed together in more than 100 years . 4 . He has a supernanny . While Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge are busy with royal obligations , Prince George is cared for by what some would call a supernanny . Spanish-born Maria Teresa Turrion Borallo was trained at the prestigious and selective Norland College in England , which specializes in training nannies . There she learned everything from basic child care to defensive driving and even self-defense . This nanny not only has to handle diaper changes , she also has to worry about potential kidnap attempts and invasive paparazzi . 5 . In his first year , he 's embarked on an international tour and made quite the fashion statement . Prince George has had a lot of firsts this year , and many of them were in the public eye . The royal baby tagged along in April with his mom and dad on their first family trip abroad in New Zealand and Australia . The 9-month-old followed in the footsteps of his father , who was the first heir to be brought along on a royal trip at such a young age when his own parents toured Australia and New Zealand in 1983 . After his overseas adventures , the public saw Prince George once again on Father 's Day . But instead of the spotlight shining on his doting dad it was once again on baby George , who took his first steps in public , carefully holding on to his mom for balance . Not only that , the overalls he was wearing immediately sold out worldwide . Three pivotal pictures from the royal tour .
Photos being released just ahead of birthday . Prince William drove Duchess of Cambridge to hospital in unmarked minivan . Christening took place at church where Princess Diana 's body lay ahead of her husband . The royal baby 's nanny has been killed in self - defense .