Princes William and George with Duchess Catherine

Princes William and George with Duchess Catherine

Intimate pictures of Prince William and Duchess Catherine relaxing with Prince George will be released next week.

Photographs of the royal couple with their newborn baby - who was born last week - are to be taken by a photographer chosen by Kensington Palace and are expected to be unveiled to the world via a link on the Clarence House Twitter account.

A spokesman said the pictures had been planned to take place within two weeks of the little one's birth to coincide with William's paternity leave from RAF Valley in Anglesey, north west Wales.

It is not yet known where the images will be taken, but it is thought William and Catherine may ask the photographer to travel to the duchess' parents' £4.7million Georgian home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, south east England - where the trio are staying - rather than have them travel to Kensington Palace.

But official pictures of Prince Philip with his new great-grandson - who he is yet to meet - aren't expected to be taken until after George's christening, which isn't due to take place until October.

Philip has been resting at his Sandringham estate in Norfolk, east of England, following abdominal surgery last month, and he is expected to meet George for the first time at the christening.

That is unless William and Catherine decide to take at trip to Queen Elizabeth and Philip's summer residency at Balmoral in Scotland, where the Duke of Edinburgh is flying out to meet the monarch in mid-August.

A royal spokesman told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "There are no plans at present for them to go to Balmoral, however there may well be some in future."