Royal Family Releases New Photos of Prince George, Princess Charlotte

LONDON — -- The little prince who could one day be king is taking on a bigger role right now, learning to be a big brother, and judging from a new photo released today, Prince George clearly likes it.

In the photo, he lovingly holds his 1 month old baby sister Princess Charlotte in his arms and kissing her at the couple's Norfolk country home, Anmer Hall.

The four new photos were taken in mid May by The Duchess of Cambridge. They are the first images of Princess Charlotte since her birth May 2 when the couple left St Mary's hospital several hours after her birth. And the first time we have seen Prince George and Princess Charlotte together.

Prince William and Princess Kate The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge gave the first glimpse of the new photos via their @KensingtonRoyal Twitter account.

The family of four left their Kensington Palace home four days after Charlotte's birth and have been staying principally at their Norfolk home over the last month.

The photos were released to coincide with the announcement that Princess Charlotte will be christened July 5 at St Mary Magdalene Church on The Queen's Sandringham estate, a stones throw from the families country home in Norfolk.

In another poignant tribute to Prince William's mother, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana will be christened at the same church where her late grandmother Princess Diana was baptized on August 30, 1961. Princess Diana was born and spent most of her childhood at Park House nearby on the Sandringham estate.

It follows a similar decision by the couple to hold Prince George's christening in the Chapel Royal St James Palace where Princess Diana lay at rest for a week after her death in 1997. The private christening was attended by just 22 people that included the senior-most members of the royal family, the Middletons and Prince George's godparents

The royal couple released the photo in the same way they did with Prince George nearly two years ago when he was also a month old. At that time, Kate's father took the first private snaps of a then infant George, his parents and the family dogs in the back yard of the Middletons' Bucklebury home.

Kate, who is an avid amateur photographer, is known to take various photos on royal tours and reportedly studied portrait photography following her job as an accessories buyer for London retail store Jigsaw before she married Prince William. The photographs were taken on her personal camera, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

The photo is the first photo of four to be released by Kensington Palace and shows the intimate life inside the families home in Norfolk.

The 10-bedroom Georgian property was given to Prince William by his grandmother, the Queen and is within the confines of the Sandringham estate. It includes a pool, tennis court, a conservatory and has recently undergone extensive renovations so the family can have the security and privacy they crave. Kate and William enjoyed the idyllic country life they had in the seaside farmhouse they shared in Wales and want their children to enjoy all the country has to offer.