Europe

Royal baby George to get Boris 'trike'

By AFP
Published | Updated

An undated picture released on August 6, 2013 by the Mayor of London's press office shows the custom-built tricycle, designed in the style of a London "Boris Bike", which Mayor of London Boris Johnson said Tuesday his office will send to royal baby Prince George as a gift from the capital. (Mayor of London's Press Office/AFP)

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, poses for pictures in London, on May 28, 2010, during a photocall to promote the launch of London's cycle hire scheme. Johnson is sending a specially-built tricycle to the royal baby Prince George as a gift from the capital, he revealed Tuesday. (AFP/File)

Mayor of London Boris Johnson is giving the royal baby Prince George a specially-built tricycle as a gift from the capital, he revealed Tuesday.

"We are sending Prince George a beautiful, bouncing blue tricycle to get him on a bike at the earliest possible opportunity and to acculturate him to the joy of cycling," Johnson said during his monthly radio phone-in on London radio station LBC.

An image released by the mayor's office showed that the custom-made bicycle was blue and built in the style of the adult-sized bicycles known as "Boris Bikes" which are available for public hire across the city.

Prince George, son of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was born in London last month amid intense media interest.

A spokesperson for the office of the mayor, himself a keen cyclist, confirmed a tricycle had been "specially commissioned" and would be delivered "in a few days".

Prime Minister David Cameron gave Prince George a box-set of books by children's author Roald Dahl, while Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam sent William and Kate a white cot cover and sheet hand-embroidered by nuns in Mrs Clegg's home village in Spain.