Royals are known to be very traditional in many ways, including how they dress. It is common to see royals dress conservatively and avoid clothes that are too flashy.
Royal adults also typically do not wear shorts. Some onlookers might wonder: Are there rules forbidding them from wearing shorts in public?
Royal boys often wear shorts
One group of royals who wear shorts pretty often are the royal children — more specifically, royal boys. For example, Prince George and Prince Louis have worn shorts to many events with the family, even occasionally in the wintertime. This is simply a tradition among the British upper class.
“It’s a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts,” etiquette expert William Hanson told Harper’s Bazaar in 2018. “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. Even the Duchess of Cambridge.”
He added, “The British upper set are always keen to hold on to tradition, and this one also silently marks them out from ‘the rest.’”
According to Hanson, young boys traditionally “graduate” to full-length pants around the age of 8. Indeed, Prince George is now 9 and sometimes seen wearing suits much like his father, Prince William.
Are adult royals allowed to wear shorts?
There are no rules against royals wearing shorts, but they still wear them less often than their children.
For example, according to People, Kate Middleton didn’t wear shorts in public as a royal until 2019 — almost 10 years after she joined the family. Queen Elizabeth also hardly wore shorts throughout her long reign save for a few occasions.
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Meanwhile, Meghan Markle didn’t wear shorts in her one-and-a-half year as a working royal, but she has been wearing them more in California.
Prince William and Prince Harry wear shorts more often than royal women do. They typically wear them to athletic events or the beach.
Other unusual parts of the royal dress code
The royal dress code has some rules that can seem unusual to onlookers.
For example, royal women always wear hats or fascinators at formal events, such as a royal wedding or the annual Trooping the Colour celebrations. Cosmopolitan reported that this rule originated during a time when women would cover their hair in public.
Queen Elizabeth took this rule very seriously and frequently wore hats when out and about. She would wear a tiara or cover her hair with a scarf when not wearing a hat.
The royal dress code also favors dresses and skirts over pants, especially jeans. Kate Middleton typically wears dresses and skirts to public engagements, but she has become more relaxed about this in recent years. It’s not unusual to see the Princess of Wales rock pantsuits or jeans.
Finally, royals also avoid wearing black most of the time. It is considered a mourning color and should be reserved for funerals. When royals travel, they will pack a black outfit in case of a sudden family death while abroad.
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