Cheers! More Booze-Free Bars For Britain

By Gemma Morris, Sky News Reporter

A growing number of alcohol-free bars cropping up across the UK could signal a shift in attitudes towards drinking.

Catherine Salway set up a dry bar in London last year after spotting a trend in young people wanting to be healthier and cutting back their drinking.

She said: "If you're 30 now, you've grown up in an environment where everyone is getting lashed all the time ... and really, as young people want to do, they are questioning the status quo which is to say why is socialising constantly linked with being drunk all the time?"

Catherine Salway spotted the trend for dry bars

Ms Salway funded her Redemption bar independently, but a number of other dry bars in the country have been backed by alcohol charities.

These have included venues in Nottingham and Liverpool.

Sophie Fordham, a university student who has blogged for Alcohol Concern, reckons younger people are becoming more open to the idea of alcohol-free bars.

"Say you go out three nights a week, if you replace that with one night at a chilled out, nice place, where you don't have to think about spending money on alcohol, you don't have to think about how you're getting home ... It's just a nice alternative," she said.

Instead of cocktails it's mocktails

Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest UK alcohol habits are changing among young people.

The number of people, aged 25-44, who said they had had a drink in the previous week dropped from 74% to 63% for men and from 62% to 50% for women, between 2005 and 2012.

Other research appears to show a reduction in teenagers drinking alcohol too.

Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy, better known to soap fans as Curly Watts, is a recovering alcoholic who hasn't had a drink for 17 years.

Kevin Kennedy, who has been sober 17 years, is hoping to join the trend

The actor is hoping to open his own dry bar in Brighton.

"I think in the UK we have got a kind of reputation of being just drunks, especially abroad and I think people are getting fed up of that. I think as a collective we are growing up," he said.

But when customers at a typical London pub were asked if booze-free nights can be as fun as alcohol-fuelled ones, the reaction was not overwhelmingly positive.

One drinker said: "I don't think it would be very fun because that's the whole point of a bar isn't it, that it serves alcohol?"

Another added: "Fun sometimes comes when you lose your inhibitions and alcohol helps you lose your inhibitions."

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Badgers Should Be Gassed, Princess Anne Says

The Princess Royal has been criticised by animal rights campaigners after she described the gassing of badgers as a "much nicer way" to control them than shooting them.

Gassing has been banned since 1982 and is considered inhumane by animal rights activists. 

But Princess Anne said she believed most people "will tell you that gas is a much nicer way of doing it, if that's not a silly expression".

"Because of the way it works. And how it works is that you go to sleep, basically."

Speaking about the recent badger cull pilot programmes designed to reduce TB in cattle, Princess Anne said controlling the spread of the disease was just one reason for killing the animals. 

"From a conservation issue alone, you'd have to say there are too many badgers. A bigger growth in the badger population is not good for the balance of conservation anyway," she told the BBC's Countryfile programme.

A third of one cattle herd at Princess Anne's Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire - where one of the pilot culls took place - has been wiped out by bovine TB over the past two years.

Princess Anne farms at her Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire

An independent experts' report has found the "controlled shooting" of badgers could deliver the level of culling needed to bring about a meaningful reduction of TB in cattle.

Humane Society International UK executive director Mark Jones said a reintroduction of gassing would result in a "slow and painful" death for many badgers and possibly other animals.

"Gassing experiments carried out at Porton Down in the early 1980s were abandoned because of the appalling levels of suffering to which the badgers were exposed," he said.

"Lethal concentrations of gases in complex badger setts are difficult to achieve, making sub-lethal exposure and associated suffering highly likely."

His remarks were echoed by Green Party animals spokeswoman Caroline Allen.

The badger cull pilots sparked widespread protests

Ms Allen, a working vet, said: "It is very sad that a high-profile figure such as Princess Anne has chosen to weigh in to the badger debate showing even less awareness and even more ignorance on the issue than we have come to expect from Secretary of State Owen Paterson.

"Defra has clearly stated that gassing with cyanide should never again be considered and there are no alternate gases available without similar unacceptable effects."

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said last year that gassing badgers was being considered but would only be used if proven to be safe, humane and effective.

The Government recently announced the pilot culls would continue this year but will not be extended to other areas.

Princess Anne also spoke of her support for genetically-modified crops in the interview.

"I think the claims are probably slightly greater than most of the deliverables actually are. They do add to our ability to perhaps be more efficient users of the land," she said.

And she admitted she "seldom" discusses the subject with her brother Charles, who once suggested the method risked creating "the biggest disaster environmentally of all time".

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Deported Yashika 'Very Frightened' In Mauritius

Teenage student Yashika Bageerathi has said she is "very frightened" after landing in Mauritius following her deportation from the UK.

The 19-year-old spoke to the headteacher at the school she attended in north London after she was interviewed by police at the airport.

She is now believed to be looking for somewhere safe to stay in her home country.

Ms Bageerathi's removal from Britain went ahead after a last-ditch attempt to secure an emergency injunction failed on Wednesday evening.

She was put on an Air Mauritius flight at Heathrow, despite more than 175,000 people signing up to a petition calling for the government to halt the deportation.

Lynne Dawes, headteacher at Oasis Academy Hadley in Enfield, north London, said the school was keeping in contact with the A-level student and that the immediate concern was to find her a safe place to stay.

Ms Dawes said the student was feeling "low" and said: "She's feeling the lowest I have heard her be for quite a while. She was also very subdued."

She confirmed four security guards had accompanied Ms Bageerathi on the flight.

The headteacher also said the school was still working to ensure she would be able to complete her A-levels.

Ms Bageerathi had been trying to claim asylum after arriving in the UK with her mother, sister and brother in 2011, saying that a relative had been physically abusive.

She had been held alone at Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire since March 19 and had already had two late reprieves from deportation after airlines apparently refused to fly her home.

A spokesman for the Oasis charity, which runs the academy, said they were supporting the family, as well as the student, who he described as "very frightened".

He added: "Yashika's mum is very upset understandably, she's very emotional and she's very worried. Worry is the overriding feeling."

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire told MPs earlier this week that he would intervene only in "exceptional" cases, and this did not fall into that category.

He said Ms Bageerathi's case had been through the proper legal process and resulted in a Home Office decision that she does not need protection from violence or persecution.

The rest of her family are still in Britain, although her mother is due to be deported at a later date.

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Players Arrested In Football Corruption Probe

Seven players from Football League clubs in the North West have been arrested over alleged bribery and money laundering in connection to football matches.

A total of 13 people are now being interviewed at police stations across the country in relation to the alleged offences.

Among them are six suspects who were originally arrested in December, including Blackburn Rovers striker DJ Campbell, who have been re-arrested.

The investigation was prompted by information passed on by the Sun on Sunday newspaper.

"Officers from the NCA have been actively pursuing a number of lines of inquiry in this ongoing investigation," the National Crime Agency said in a statement.

"The NCA have today re-arrested the six original suspects based upon new evidence, along with a further seven footballers aged between 18 and 30 suspected of potential involvement in these offences."

A Football League spokesman said: "The Football League has been made aware that a number of arrests have been made in relation to an ongoing police investigation.

"We will provide our full co-operation to the relevant authorities. Given that it is an ongoing matter, we cannot comment further at this time."

The Football Association said: "The FA has been made aware of developments in relation to an ongoing NCA (National Crime Agency) investigation, including a number of further arrests.

"We are liaising with the authorities in relation to these allegations. The FA will make no further comment at this time."

A statement from Preston on the club website said: "Preston North End Football Club can confirm that today, April 3 2014, the club has been contacted by the National Crime Agency in relation to a wide-ranging investigation into 'spot fixing' in football.

"There are no suggestions that any offences that might have occurred involved match-fixing.

"None of our employees have been charged with any offence at this time and until or unless this position changes we will be taking no further action nor making any further comment."

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Air Pollution: UK Braced For Third Day Of Smog

A health warning remains in force for millions of vulnerable people as the country prepares for a third day of record air pollution levels.

High levels of smog are forecast today for East Anglia, the Midlands, Lincolnshire, the Wirral and the north coast of Wales.

Parts of England are experiencing the highest level of air pollution ever recorded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in part due to dust from the Sahara.

The elderly, people with asthma, and those with lung and heart conditions are being told to take precautions as forecasters say the smog will not clear until Friday.

Forecast for April 2, 3, 4. Dark red, purple are highest levels. Pic: Defra

Pollution from Europe, low southeasterly winds and domestic pollution have also contributed to the plummeting air quality.

Public Health England (PHE), Asthma UK and Defra have all issued warnings.

Sotiris Vardoulakis from PHE said: "On occasions where levels are high, adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, should reduce strenuous physical exertion, particularly outdoors, and particularly if they experience symptoms.

"Anyone experiencing discomfort such as sore eyes, coughing or sore throat should consider reducing activity, particularly outdoors."

A view of London's Canary Wharf on Wednesday

Moderate pollution levels are also likely to affect the northwest coast of England, southwest Scotland and the northeast coast of Northern Ireland.

The UK's 3.6 million asthmatics are being advised to use their blue reliever inhalers more often.

Kay Boycott, chief executive of Asthma UK, said: "The two-thirds of people with asthma who find that air pollution makes their asthma worse will be at an increased risk of an attack following the alarming Defra warning of high pollution levels around the country."

Saharan dust gets blown over to Britain several times a year. This latest episode has been caused by a large wind storm in North Africa.

Some commuters have taken to wearing face masks

Cars in some areas of the country have been covered with speckles of the dust.

The World Health Organisation estimates seven million premature deaths annually are linked to air pollution.

The UK is not the only place to be hit by increased smog levels. Last month, Paris imposed a day-long driving ban after pollution particles in the air exceeded safe levels for five straight days.

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Teenage Student Yashika Bageerathi Deported

A teenager at the centre of a deportation battle has left the UK on a plane to Mauritius.

The removal of student Yashika Bageerathi has gone ahead after a last-minute attempt to secure an emergency injunction failed.

The 19-year-old is being flown back by Air Mauritius, which has issued a statement saying it "regrets this situation".

Her headteacher Lynne Dawes told Sky News, the teenager had been put on the plane at Heathrow surrounded by four security guards.

She said: "I just can't believe they are sending her home.

"I thought some compassion would be shown."

Her tearful mother had pleaded with the authorities to allow her to stay to complete her A-levels.

"Do not force her like that to be alone," she told Sky News.

A petition against her deportation attracted around 175,000 signatures

And supporters have vowed they will fight for her to be able return.

Earlier, a judge at London's Law Courts had rejected an application to halt her removal, in order to give her legal team more time to take her case to the Court of Appeal.

Such stay orders are granted only if a judge decides the case raises issues which are arguable and merit a further hearing.

A spokesman for the teenager's school, Oasis Academy Hadley, in Enfield, north London, said they were extremely disappointed at the judge's decision.

He said: "We thought there was a solid legal case for her to stay while she finished her A-levels.

"It's worrying the legal system doesn't reflect the heart of the people of this country."

There had been calls for Air Mauritius not to take her on the plane.

In a statement, the airline said it had not been in a position previously to take Miss Bageerathi as not all conditions had been met.

But it subsequently received a "directive" from the UK authorities on April 1.

The statement said: "All conditions having been satisfied, the company had no other choice than to abide by the  directive.

"The company has taken all steps to ensure that the flight of Miss Bhageerathi takes place in the best  possible conditions.

"Air Mauritius regrets this situation, but as all airline companies cannot but abide by decisions taken by  relevant authorities."

Miss Bageerathi's MP David Burrowes said he was "deeply disappointed" by the deportation order.

The A-level student has been held at Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire since March 19.

A campaign against her deportation has attracted around 175,000 signatures to an online petition.

She has already had two late reprieves from deportation after airlines apparently refused to fly her home.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire told MPs he would intervene only in "exceptional" cases, and this did not fall into that category.

He said her case had been through the proper legal process and resulted in a Home Office decision that she does not need protection from violence or persecution.

Miss Bageerathi came to the UK with her mother, sister and brother in 2011 to escape a relative who was physically abusive and claimed asylum last summer.

She was due to take her A-level exams next month.

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Defra: Air Pollution Levels To Top The Scale

Air pollution will reach "very high" or "high" levels across much of England on Wednesday, the UK's Environment Department has warned.

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said air pollution will worsen, reaching the top level of 10 in some areas in the South and Midlands.

It said: "High to very high air pollution is expected across much of England to the south of a line from Merseyside across to The Wash."

London will be among the areas worst hit.

Adults and children with lung problems, adults with heart problems, and older people, have been told to avoid strenuous physical activity.

It will be the second day in a row that the country has been hit by heightened smog levels.

Rising smog levels are linked to dust blown from the Sahara

On Tuesday Defra recorded "high" to "very high" air pollution levels across East Anglia, parts of southeast England and around the Humber.

The agency has linked the increased air pollution levels to sandstorms in the Sahara.

A spokesperson told Sky News: "The high level of air pollution this week is due to a combination of local emissions, light winds, pollution from the continent and dust blown over from the Sahara."

Many in the country have woken up over the last few days to see a thin level of red sand coating cars and streets.

The Met Office said: "A large amount of sand and dust was swept up by storm winds in the desert, around 2,000 miles away in northwest Africa.

Sand from the Sahara is being blown towards the UK

"The airborne particles were blown north to the UK where they combined with our warm air and were deposited during showers."

Paul Hutcheon at the Met Office added: "We usually see this happen several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly winds to bring that dust here.

"More dust rain is possible during showers expected later this week."

However, it seems the high pollution levels won't last for long. 

Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill told Sky News: "As we head towards the latter part of this week; Thursday into Friday, the air quality is set to improve.

"By the weekend the air pollution will be low across the UK."

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) air pollution poses the world's most serious environmental health risk. 

It found that pollution, ranging from cooking fires to car fumes, was linked to seven million deaths in 2012. That is roughly one in eight.

The biggest pollution-related killers were heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease and lung cancer, the WHO said.

England is not the only country to be hit by increased smog levels recently.

Last month Paris imposed a day-long driving ban after pollution particles in the air exceeded safe levels for five straight days.

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Clegg And Farage Set For Debate Round Two

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

EU foreign policy in relation to Ukraine and Syria is likely to dominate when Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage clash tonight in their second televised debate.

The Lib Dem and UKIP leaders have already started to gear up for the contest with firing shots about the role of Vladimir Putin.

Mr Farage picked out the Russian president when asked who he most admired in an interview for GQ by the former Labour spin-doctor Alistair Campbell.

"As an operator, but not as a human being, I would say Putin," he said.

"The way he played the whole Syria thing. Brilliant. Not that I approve of him politically."

Mr Clegg hit back describing the comment as "utterly grotesque". He said Mr Putin had been the "chief sponsor and protector of one of the most brutal dictators on the face of the planet, President Assad".

A UKIP source said it seemed the Lib Dems wanted to focus Wednesday's debate on the issue.

"We are ready for a row about foreign policy," he said. "We think most people agree with Nigel on this one. Clegg, Hague, Miliband, Cameron have been behaving like a bunch of sanctimonious students."

Polls suggested Mr Farage won the pair's first debate

Mr Farage is likely to argue that the British public are fed up of being dragged into conflicts with no pressing national interest. He has accused UK leaders of "destabilising" countries such as Ukraine and Syria.

Meanwhile, the Lib Dems are keen to focus on the fact that the Conservative and Labour leaders have chosen not to take part in the debate.

The party has released a poster overnight that describes Mr Clegg as the only leader "standing up for British jobs" - and slams Ed Miliband and David Cameron as "missing in action".

A Lib Dem poster takes a swipe at the absence of Labour and the Tories

Although the immediate polls following last week's debate suggested Mr Farage had won overall, both leaders saw a boost.

The Lib Dems want to use the debates to help them win pro-European votes off both the Conservatives and Labour.

A senior Lib Dem source said: "Although we are low in the polls, being able to move one or 2% of people might make a big difference to this. It is exposure and it is an important debate."

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Patients 'Should Pay £10 NHS Membership Fee'

People should pay a £10-a-month fee to use the NHS and "hotel-style charges" for stays in hospital, according to former Labour health minister Lord Warner.

He said the radical measures were needed to help fund the NHS which is struggling to meet the needs of an ageing population and more people suffering from long-term conditions.

In a report co-written by Lord Warner, it is estimated that a monthly £10 charge for using the NHS could generate £2bn a year.

Lord Warner said: "We can no longer pay homage to an out-of-date and unaffordable NHS that's unfit for today's and tomorrow's care needs.

"All politicians allowed the NHS to overdose on higher budgets without shifting more care closer to home and concentrating our specialist services on fewer, safer, more highly skilled, 24/7 centres.

"The day of reckoning has arrived with an obesity epidemic on our doorstep.

"The NHS has to change radically and fast over a single Parliament with flat-lined funding.

"It should have no more hand-outs at the expense of other public services. It faces a hard slog of doing more with less and a tough conversation with the public about how we change services and accept new ways of funding the NHS."

The proposals include hospital hotel charges

Under the proposals outlined in the report, published by think-tank Reform, every resident would gain "NHS membership" at a monthly fee of £10, to be collected alongside council tax.

Patients should also pay "co-payments for the hotel costs of some inpatient hospital care".

Those receiving free prescriptions would be exempt from the charges, and NHS funding from general taxation should only rise with inflation, the report added.

The report said: "By the end of the next Parliament, providing there was the political will, it is possible to envisage these changes in entitlements yielding over £6bn a year.

"A revamped system for prescription charges and other co-payments such as hospital hotel charges could raise over £1bn a year. A £10 a month fee for a membership scheme with free membership for those exempted from prescription charges might well produce over £2bn a year for use in local preventative initiatives."

A Department of Health spokesman said the Government "doesn't support the introduction of membership fees or anything like them".

He said: "The founding principles of the NHS make it universally free at point of use and we are clear that it will continue to be so.

A stagnant budget are among the factors putting pressure on the NHS

"But we know that with an ageing population there's more pressure on the NHS, which is why we need changes to services that focus far more on health prevention out of hospitals."

The report comes as a poll suggests almost half of politicians believe the NHS may no longer be free at the point of need if pressing issues facing the health service are not tackled.

A survey of MPs found that half believe that a free health service could be consigned to the history books if the challenges facing the NHS are not addressed.

In the past health leaders have warned that the NHS will only survive if there are radical changes in the delivery of healthcare such as hospital closures and centralisation of services.

Officials say if the health service in England was to continue delivering care the way it currently is, there will be a funding gap of £30bn between 2013 and 2021, even if the health budget is protected.

Rob Webster, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "These results reveal there is cross-party consensus about the need to make changes to the NHS and that there are doubts about whether there is the political will to do so.

"The resounding message from this survey is clear - we need an open and honest apolitical conversation between the public, patients, politicians and those delivering healthcare across our communities, about the future challenges facing the NHS.

"We must then all support each other to drive forward the changes needed to ensure we can deliver a 21st century NHS where we have the right care, in the right place, at the right time."

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'Somersault' Plane Crash: Essex Victim Named

A passenger who died when the light aircraft he was flying in burst into flames as it crashed into a field in Essex has been named.

Simon Chamberlain, a 29-year-old father-of-one from Harlow, died along with the pilot when their Yak 52 aircraft got into difficulties on Saturday afternoon.

Witnesses described how the training aircraft had been attempting a somersault before going down and in a rural area between Ongar and Writtle, near Chelmsford.

Sam Gildersleeve, from Ongar, said he saw the plane flying low close to the A414 near Cooksmill Green when it attempted to do "a somersault unsuccessfully".

He said he then heard "a popping sound and noticed the plane did not re-emerge".

Police have said they were not in a position to name the pilot but confirmed he was also from Essex.

The plane crashed into a field between Ongar and Writtle

Mr Chamberlain's family said in a statement: "Lizzie, his wife, has lost her best friend and soul mate. His son, Charlie, who will be two years old in August, has lost his father. And his parents, Paul and Steph, have lost a loving son. We love him more than anything the world.

"Our hearts also go out to the other person involved in this tragedy.

"We know that you will respect the fact that we now need time to grieve and give us the space to heal."

Mr Chamberlain was an aircraft enthusiast who served as secretary and trustee of the North Weald Airfield Museum, both voluntary roles.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is continuing to probe the crash

His family said he did everything at North Weald airfield from general maintenance to refuelling helicopters and moving planes around and was also a keen amateur aircraft photographer.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating the accident.

The Yakovlev Yak 52 is a Soviet aircraft which was first produced in the late 1970s and is still used for training both civilian aerobatics pilots and military pilots.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s many of the around 1,800 planes produced to date have been exported to the west, and they are still in production in Romania.

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First Gay Weddings: PM Hails 'Equal Marriage'

Prime Minister David Cameron has hailed the first gay weddings in England and Wales as sending a "powerful message" about equality in the UK.

The law changed at midnight, with a number of gay couples vying to claim the title of being among the first to be married as ceremonies took place across England and Wales.

Despite facing opposition from some in the Conservative Party about his backing for the change, Mr Cameron said the reform was necessary because "when people's love is divided by law, it is that law that needs to change".

Writing in Pink News, he said: "This weekend is an important moment for our country" because "we will at last have equal marriage in our country".

"The introduction of same-sex civil marriage says something about the sort of country we are," he added.

"It says we are a country that will continue to honour its proud traditions of respect, tolerance and equal worth. It also sends a powerful message to young people growing up who are uncertain about their sexuality.

The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed in July

"It clearly says 'you are equal' whether straight or gay. That is so important in trying to create an environment where people are no longer bullied because of their sexuality - and where they can realise their potential, whether as a great mathematician like Alan Turing, a star of stage and screen like Sir Ian McKellen or a wonderful journalist and presenter like Clare Balding."

Among the first couples set to take advantage of the legalisation were actor Andrew Wale, 49, and guesthouse owner Neil Allard, 48, who wed at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton just after midnight.

Following the ceremony in which the couple wore matching suits, Mr Wale told Sky News: "It's a wonderful feeling, it was much more emotional than I thought it was going to be and I'm just kind of happy and buzzing."

Mr Allard added: "It's exciting, it's a new step forward and it's all about love."

Andrew Wale (L) and Neil Allard said their vows in Brighton

Peter McGraith and David Cabreza, who have been together for 17 years, tied the knot at Islington Town Hall, north London, just moments after midnight struck.

Ahead of their ceremony, Mr McGraith said: "We are thrilled to be getting married. It is a mark of significant social progress in the UK that the legal distinction between gay and straight relationships has been removed.

"Very few countries afford their gay and lesbian citizens equal marriage rights and we believe that this change in law will bring hope and strength to gay men and lesbians in Nigeria, Uganda, Russia, India and elsewhere, who lack basic equality and are being criminalised for their sexual orientation."

After watching the ceremony, campaigner Peter Tatchell told Sky News there was still more to be done.

"We need to keep up the battle to insure that all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in this country and around the world have equal human rights," he said.

Mr McGraith (L) and Mr Cabreza were wed just moments after midnight

Broadcaster Sandi Toksvig and her civil partner Debbie Toksvig renewed their vows at a public event at the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank in London.

Same-sex couples wishing to marry had initially thought they would have to wait until the summer after the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed last July.

However, they were allowed to register their intention to marry from March 13, with March 29 the first day they could get hitched.

Unlike civil partnerships, same-sex marriages will give the same legal recognition as marriage across a range of areas including pensions, inheritance, child maintenance and immigration rights.

While the change will not be enforced upon religious organisations, they will be able to opt in.

Andrea Williams from Christian Concern told Sky News the reforms had gone too far.

"We have moved all the goal posts, suddenly we don't actually know what things mean, marriage once clearly meant something; a man and a woman in an exclusive promise, in a union that is life long, for the good of children," she said.

However, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said that the Church of England would drop its opposition now the new law has come into force.

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Prince George And Parents In Mother's Day Photo

Nearly three years after their balcony kiss on the day of the Royal wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have posed by a window for another photograph - this time with their son George in tow.

Celebrating her first Mother's Day as a mum herself, Kate held the young prince, now eight months old, as proud father Prince William sat beside her.

The couple's pet dog Lupo completed the family photo, which was taken at Kensington Palace.

It has been five months since the last official portraits of the prince and his parents, taken at Clarence House on the day of his christening by the same photographer.

Then, a three-month-old George sat on his mother's knee, arms aloft, performing for the cameras.

Another historic photograph showed the Queen and her three male heirs.

The latest picture, in which George wears a personalised sweater, was released ahead of the Duke and Duchess' tour of Australia and New Zealand, which begins next month.

Their son is joining them for the trip, during which he will attend his first official public engagement.

William was a similar age when he went to Australia with his parents, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1983.

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