Duke and Duchess of Cambridge branded 'irresponsible' over a £260 car seat which has been installed 'facing outwards' in the royal limo

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were branded ‘irresponsible’ last night over a £260 child car seat fitted in Prince George’s official car just hours before his hugely anticipated first royal tour was due to begin.
The Maxi-Cosi Tobi safety seat was installed in the ‘royal limo’ for the future king by Plunket, a national charity which provides services and support to parents and young children.
At Kate and William’s specific request, a technician from the society installed the seat facing outwards.

In the UK that would be perfectly acceptable as government guidelines state that babies and infants only need to be carried in rear-facing seats until they can sit up unaided - something eight-month-old George is now able to do - and have exceeded the maximum weight for the seat.

But Plunket, which is a hugely influential group locally, is very vocal about its own guidelines which recommend children remain in rear-facing car seats until the age of two.

Rear facing seats, it says, significantly reduce the risk of death or injury, protecting the baby’s head, neck and spine even as a toddler.

Despite its public stance it proudly issued photographs of its car seat services technician Aethalia O’Connor fitting George’s offending restrainer and saying: ‘If it can’t be installed correctly we need to work out a way we can make it correct. We need to make sure the baby is safe.’

Response to the photograph was immediate with hundreds of parents going online to complain about double standards.

Helen Lawrence said on the Plunket Facebook page: ‘They [William and Kate] have made an irresponsible decision about facing their baby forwards in the car.‘ 

Michelle Green added: ‘You went against everything you recommended, undoing all your hard work regarding rear facing until two.’ Last night, however, the society was unapologetic.

Chief executive Jenny Prince said Plunket’s role was ‘to provide advice and work in partnership with parents’ to make informed decisions that worked best for them.'

He added: ‘’Plunket’s priority is to ensure car seats are installed by qualified car seat technicians to ensure they perform correctly. While Plunket recommend that children stay in rear-facing seats until age two, it is not a legal requirement.’

Plunket spokesman Zac Prendergast said he had spoken to Miss O’Connor, and stressed that the seat was installed ‘in line with the parents’ preferences’.

The row is particularly embarrassing as the organisation has organised a meet and greet with other babies of a similar age for Prince George, who will be accompanied by his parents, at Government House in Wellington on Wednesday.