It was a special day for him! At this year’s traditional Christmas service for the British royals, a very special piece of clothing celebrated its premiere for Prince Louis (5): The five-year-old son of Princess Kate (41) and Prince William (41) wore long trousers at the official appointment. Last year he still had to wear shorts – despite the freezing temperatures. But why is Louis only now allowed to wear long trousers?
The reason for this is a royal tradition. “Long pants are for older boys and men, while short pants for little boys are one of the implicit class markers we have in England,” etiquette expert William Hanson tells Harper’s Bazaar. “Although times are slowly changing, long trousers on a little boy are considered quite bourgeois. And no self-respecting noble or royal wants to appear bourgeois,” William continues.
William and Kate already maintained this tradition with their eldest son Prince George (10). His parents were even stricter with him: the future King of England almost exclusively wore shorts in public until he was nine years old.
