Britain's monarchy has released a new photo of Prince George, the 8-month-old son of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, showing a cute boy who's more taken with the family dog than with having his picture taken.

The photograph was released this weekend, ahead of the family's trip to New Zealand and Australia; its release coincides with Britain's Mother's Day — or, as its long been called, Mothering Sunday (the day also inspired a Google Doodle).

The young family sat for the picture in the middle of March, according to a release posted on their website. In the image, Prince George is held by his mother while his father holds Lupo, the family pet. They're looking out from an open window at Kensington Palace, their home.

After the photo was released, tens of thousands of visitors "liked" it on the British Monarchy Facebook page; people also shared and discussed it on Twitter, paying particular attention to the prince's light blue sweater.

The picture was taken by Jason Bell, a photographer who snapped images of George's christening. As we've reported before, the first images of the young prince that were released were taken by family members, including Prince Charles.

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