That's a wrap! After three weeks of official engagements, meet-and-greets, and photo ops, Kate Middleton, Prince William, and Prince George finished their tour of Australia and New Zealand and headed back home to the U.K. The royal trio boarded a plane on Friday, April 25, at Faribairn Airbase in Canberra, where they were seen off by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife, Margie Abbott.
Dressed in a chic Michael Kors coat dress and heels, the Duchess of Cambridge, 32, carried George up the steps to the plane and then turned to wave to well-wishers. She and her husband, the Duke, smiled and posed for pictures, but their 9-month-old son—adorable as always in a red sweater and shorts—was his usual wiggly self, and kicked his legs restlessly.
The family's goodbye follows 19 days of sightseeing and traveling throughout New Zealand and Australia. During their visit, the royal couple met local politicians, families, and servicemen and women. Prince George had a couple of big days, too, with a playgroup in Wellington and a visit to the zoo in Sydney.
"The tour of New Zealand and Australia has been an incredible experience for both the Duke and Duchess, and the couple really have enjoyed it immensely," a Kensington Palace spokesman, "We always said this would be an opportunity for the Duke to introduce both countries to the Duchess and Prince George, and the couple have been bowled over by the extraordinarily warm welcome shown to them as a family by people everywhere they went."
Earlier on the day of their departure, Prince William and Duchess Catherine paid their respects to fallen soldiers at the Australian War Memorial. Quietly arriving at around 5 a.m., the couple joined tens of thousands of veterans and their family members in commemorating ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day.
The early service featured readings and remembrances honoring the many soldiers who were wounded or killed in Afghanistan. The first ANZAC day was in 1915; this year is its 99th anniversary. by nevel