WHY WAS PRINCE LOUIS WEARING SHORTS IN DECEMBER FOR HIS ROYAL CHRISTMAS WALK?
Prince Louis followed the royal rulebook by wearing shorts for his debut royal Christmas walk. The 4-year-old prince joined the royal family's iconic holiday walk to and from St. Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham for the first time on Sunday, layering a navy dress coat over a plaid shirt, burgundy shorts, knee-high navy socks and slip-on loafers.
While the rest of the royal family members in attendance were more bundled up for the December weather, Prince Louis noticeably wore shorts — a time-honored tradition for young British princes. Though Louis didn't seem cold (with mom Kate Middleton even chatting with well-wishers about the temperate weather in a Twitter video), it's typical for upper-class boys in Britain to wear shorts in their younger years.
"Boys wear short trousers until they are 8," Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, previously told PEOPLE. "It is very English." "It is considered very suburban for a little boy to be in long trousers when he is just a little boy," Seward continued, pointing to how graduating to long pants is an exciting milestone.
"It is shorts until you're 8 and then 'woo, you're in long trousers,' " she said. "They suddenly feel very grown up." Prince William and Prince Harry were often dressed in shorts when they were little boys, as was Louis' elder brother Prince George, 9. When George made his Sandringham Christmas walk debut walk in 2019 at age 6, however, he wore pants — proving that that shorts are simply a suggestion.
George and Louis both wore shorts for the Wales family Christmas card this year, coordinating in polo shirts, blue shorts and sneakers. Their parents Prince William and Princess Kate were similarly casual in jeans, while their sister Princess Charlotte wore a denim romper.
"Sharing a new picture of the family for this year's Christmas card!" the sunny snap was captioned on social media. The picture was taken by photographer Matt Porteous earlier this year in Norfolk. The family spends lots of time at their country home Anmer Hall, which is part of the royal family's Sandringham estate, and it's where Kate is said to feel most at home.
Louis and Charlotte were spotted holding their gifts, festive gnomes wearing furry Father Christmas hats, which were given to them by a well-wisher. Charlotte held her own version of the toy, known as a "gonk", which sported a pink hat. Prince George also appeared to have received a similar gift to his brother.
During the walkabout, Kate told one royal fan that the Waleses' three children "got lots of lovely things" for Christmas, MailOnline reports. The same publication said William told a member of the crowd: "They've had enough presents."