PICHA YA KWANZA YA ROYAL FAMILY UKO MBELEZZZ UINGEREZA PRINCE GEORGE ONA HAPA WATU BORA LIVE!!

Jason Bell/ Camera Press/Redux

There's a new photo of Prince George! On Saturday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released an official family photograph to mark the beginning of their three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand, which kicks off on April 2.

In the photo, the family is leaning out the window of their home in Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace. Kate Middleton is wearing a cream-colored top and William is wearing a pale blue shirt. Prince George, eight-months-old, is also wearing a pale blue sweater and looking to his left at the family dog Lupo, who makes a surprise appearance.

The image was shot by Jason Bell, 44, an award-winning British photographer and Oxford University graduate who has photographed celebrities including Claire Danes and Scarlett Johansson, among others, for publications such as Vogue and Vanity Fair. Bell also has royal ties — he shot the famous family for their official christening photo in October and his work is on permanent display at the National Portrait Gallery in London, where the duchess serves as patron. More on Yahoo Shine: Everything Amazing Kate Middleton Did in 2013

According to the itinerary released by Kensington Palace in March, during the tour (an opportunity for the royal couple to pay respect to two countries that fall within the monarchy’s rule) Middleton and Prince William will visit local schools, war memorials, yacht races, and various exhibitions.

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And while for the most part, Prince George will be in the hands of his new nanny, the Spanish-born Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo – who's skilled in Taekwondo, perfect for fending off paparazzi – according to a story published by CNN, we may catch a glimpse of the infant at the opening of the Bilby Enclosure at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, where the marsupial enclosure will be named after the heir to the throne.

It's a big trip for Prince George — he's only the second baby to embark on a royal tour. In 1983, when Prince William was a year old, he got his passport stamped for the first time while accompanying parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana to New Zealand and Australia. Bon voyage, George!