Prince Louis was spotted wearing blue and green tartan trousers as he walked into St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham for the Christmas Day church service. The young prince also wore a blue coat that complimented the trouser choice.
But is the five-year-old breaking a tradition? Last Christmas, Prince Louis wore burgundy shorts on Christmas morning – and some have expected the young royal to wear shorts again today as this tradition dates back centuries.
While shorts might not be an obvious choice for a chilly December day, Prince Louis is often spotted wearing shorts during royal engagements because Prince William and Princess Kate tend to follow a very upper-class tradition that dates back centuries.
According to the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood’s website, young British boys would wear gowns just like their sisters for the first few years of their lives, after which they would be “breeched” and put into shorts.
This concept dates back to the 16th century and carried through into the early 20th century.
Etiquette expert William Hanson has previously explained that royal boys are often dressed in shorts for formal occasions until their eighth birthday.
He told Harper’s Bazaar: “Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent class markers that we have in England.
“Although times are (slowly) changing, a pair of trousers on a young boy is considered quite middle class – quite suburban. And no self-respecting aristo or royal would want to be considered suburban.”
Mr Hanson added that Prince Louis will likely wear shorts until he is around age seven, when “young boys usually transition into trousers”. The transition into full-length trousers tends to signify a rite of passage in the growing up of a young boy.
For the aristocracy in particular, upholding this old-school fashion tends to remain a part of family tradition.
However, the five-year-old didn’t follow this dress code this morning when he arrived at the Christmas service alongside his family.
George, 10, who now wears trousers on royal outings, also used to wear shorts to many royal engagements for the first few years of his life.
This Christmas morning, the 10-year-old prince was seen wearing a blue suit paired with a white shirt.
