Prince George has jetted off on his first royal tour to Australia and New Zealand and is proving to be even more popular than his parents, and a powerful public relations force for the House of Windsor.

Having been kept largely out of the limelight since his birth, the eyes of the world are now firmly fixed on him, and he hasn’t disappointed to date.  His play date with other babies was deemed a success, showing him and his parents to be ‘just the same’ as all the others, in spite of the clear differences and the public interest will be further stoked by the photos  that will emerge from this tour, helping to keep opinion on a positive and upward spiral.

Going forward, relevance is key for the Royal Family and William, Kate and George are at the forefront.  This is no mean feat as, at times, they seem anything other than relevant with wild boar hunting trips, child-free holidays to the Maldives and £2k Alexander McQueen coats to give just a few examples.  But it is Kate’s  ‘ordinariness’ that stands out most of the time, and that is something that is key to turning around the PR for a family which has struggled to find a modern groove.  Wearing clothes from high street chains, using grandparents to help with childcare in the early days of being new parents and her seemingly natural, warm and caring manner when out and about on official engagements has endeared her to many. Indeed, public confidence in, and support for, the monarchy is at a high and much of the credit for this turn around can be given to Kate and William’s approach to royal life.

The challenge will be to maintain this ‘ordinariness’ as the pressures and demands of royal duties become greater.  Of course, no-one expects William and Kate to really be ‘like us’ and are accepting of many of the privileges that come with the position.  However, there is a fine line between the expected lifestyle of a royal couple and what can be perceived to be excessive and lavish spending, and that is what needs to be managed well in the years to come.