UK royal baby: New photos of Prince George released by Kensington Palace

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The photos were taken earlier this month at the Middleton family home

Two family pets appear alongside the royal family

William calls George "a little bit of a rascal"

CNN  — 

What a sweet snapshot: Mom, dad, the baby boy … and two charming canines.

It’s one of two photos released Tuesday by Kensington Palace of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their newborn son, Prince George, and a couple of four-legged friends.

The photos were shot by Michael Middleton, Catherine’s father, in early August in the garden of the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

One portrait shows Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, beaming while holding the swaddled George, who is third in line to the British throne. The happy husband, Prince William, is beside them, all smiles.

They are accompanied on the left by Tilly the retriever, a Middleton family pet, and on the right by Lupo, the couple’s cocker spaniel.

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The other portrait shows the royal couple alone with the young prince.

In his first official interview since George’s July 22 birth, William told CNN’s Max Foster that Lupo is taking the addition to the royal family in stride.

“He’s coping all right, actually,” William said.

“As a lot of people know who have got dogs and bringing a newborn back, they take a little bit of time to adapt, but he’s been all right so far. He’s been slobbering around the house a bit, so he’s perfectly happy.”

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Lupo will be a perfect playmate for George, whom William calls “a little bit of a rascal.”

“He either reminds me of my brother or me when I was younger, I’m not sure, but he’s doing very well at the moment,” William told CNN, in describing the youngest member of the royal family.

“He’s growing quite quickly actually. But he’s a little fighter – he wriggles around quite a lot and he doesn’t want to go to sleep that much.”