Prince George Can't Curb Excitement Seeing his Namesake Marsupial at Sydney Zoo

Prince George was all-smiles at his second engagement of the royal tour in Sydney.

The nine-month-old George seemed extremely excited as he met a bilby, a rabbit-like marsupial, at Sydney's Taronga zoo.

Prince William and Kate Middleton took the little prince to the zoo for unveiling a plaque opening the Bilby enclosure on Easter Sunday. Also at the event, the male bilby was named after Prince George as an honour to the future heir.

Prince George clearly looked in the best of his spirits at the zoo.

According to Clarence House, when George, carried by Kate, arrived at the zoo, "he looked on in wonder at the crowd surrounding the enclosure and wriggled his arms and legs in excitement, squealing and gurgling when he spotted his namesake George the bilby."

The royal baby was very keen on touching the animal and getting close to it.

"He's trying to grab his ear," Kate, who took it in turn with William to hold little George in her arms said.

William added as he kissed his son's forehead: "If he gets it he'll never let go."

Seeing her son's excitement, the Duchess had to step in to stop George when he was about to caress the bilby and coax it closer.

"He's got quite a strong grab actually," she said as Prince George struggled to get off his mother's hold.

George was so excited to see the animal that he stood up and held on to a low clear plastic fence that surrounded the marsupial's pen.

"Prince George was absolutely fantastic. I've never seen a little boy quite so excited about meeting a Bilby. He had his hands up on the glass of the exhibit and he was patting the glass," bilby keeper Paul Davies said.

Take a look at Prince George's exciting trip to the zoo in pictures below.