Royals' car seat request for Prince George doesn't sit well in Wellington

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge requested that George be transported in a forward-facing car seat during the tour. Photograph: John Stillwell/AFP/Getty Images

Prince George headed off on his first official overseas tour and, as is the nature of such tours, was due to fly straight into controversy.

As the eight-month-old, and his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were set to land in Wellington, New Zealand, a royal row was being whipped up over his official car seat.

Usual tensions accompanying royal visits "Down Under" can include a light fanning of the republican embers, or demands for official apologies for the actions of forebears a century or so previously.

And, while the royal couple may be well briefed on how to deal with such sensitive matters, it is unlikely they gave a second thought to their request for a forward-facing child seat.

However, Plunket, a charity providing support to parents with young children, and which obliged the royal request by providing and fitting such seat, has found itself accused of fawning hypocrisy, as its own guidelines recommend a rear-facing seat for infants under two years, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Plunket is due to play host at a coffee morning in Wellington to the first of two planned appearances by George during the 19-day tour of New Zealand and Australia, which some 450 members of the international media will cover.

William, 31, and Kate, 32, have designed the tour around their first-born's needs, adopting a "hub and spoke" approach which means they will base themselves in three locations – Wellington, Sydney and Canberra.

The couple and their entourage, which includes a nanny, were travelling by scheduled flight to Sydney, then transferring to a New Zealand Royal Airforce plane onwards to Wellington.

As George is, reportedly, "teething madly" and learning to crawl, it could be an eventful journey. It is the duchess's first visit to either country. Announcing details last month, William's private secretary Miguel Head, said: "The duke has no doubt that his wife will fall in love with New Zealand and Australia every bit as much as he did some years ago