Prince Louis Was Reportedly Given a Special Tradition-Breaking Wardrobe ‘Privilege’ & We’re Reassessing Our Closet
Hear ye! Hear ye! Gather round, mere peasants. It’s time to turn to the royals for some fashion advice. And no, this time we’re not talking about Kate Middleton’s exquisite style. We’re talking about Prince Louis’ surprising outfits that — much like the hilarious little prince himself — buck tradition.
For his recent Christmas outings, the 5-year-old has worn…*pauses for dramatic effect*… trousers. Dedicated royal family followers will recall that last Christmas, Louis wore shorts and knee-high socks. And you’re probably thinking the shorts were the wild choice. In winter?!
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But no.
Believe it or not, the pants were the shocking choice. Apparently, dressing young boys in shorts — regardless of weather — is a “very English thing to do.” Very English and very posh.
“Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent class markers that we have in England,” etiquette expert William Hanson told Harper’s Bazaar in 2018. “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.”
At the time of the interview, Louis’ older brother Prince George, 10 was rocking shorts. And they are far from the first royals to do so. As with nearly everything related to the royal family, it’s a longstanding tradition. Prince William and Prince Harry were showing their kneecaps growing up too.
“The usual custom is that a boy graduates to trousers around 8 years old,” Hanson continued. “This is, historically, perhaps due to the practice of ‘breeching’, which dates back to the sixteenth century. A newborn boy would be dressed in a gown for their first year or two…and then he was ‘breeched’ and wore articles of clothing that more resembled shorts or trousers than dresses.”
Well, it seems that Prince Louis was granted the privilege of “breeching” well before age 8, and Prince George “breeched” even earlier. The second in line to the throne started wearing pants at age 4 when he attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.
It’s such an unexpected “privilege.” You would think that a young boy would be counting down the minutes until he could throw on some shorts, but for the princes of Wales, the bigger pants are apparently the bigger deal.
And now we have to wonder … is it time to clear out our kids’ closets from anything longer than knee-length?! Should we be cutting pants into shorts?! We wouldn’t want to seem — gasp! — suburban.
Before you go, check out every time Prince Louis had his big sister in his corner.
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