Here's why Britain's Prince George is always seen in shorts

It has a little to with the snob factor.

Prince George is easily the best dressed three-year-old around and we can't get over his suave style. The little prince is always seen sporting a traditional British ensemble of shorts and knee-length socks.

George's shorts are adored by the public but many might not be aware of the reason behind his signature look. William Hanson, an etiquette expert,  says the look comes from an aristocratic tradition. "The reason is predominantly to do with social class because everything in British society is to do with social class," Hanson shared with Mashable.

Hanson added that the reason for wearing shorts has "historical roots" and was a "custom we can trace back to the 16th century". "If you look back at old paintings of children from aristocratic paintings, you see little boys aged two and under dressed as girls, wearing gowns and dresses," he explained. "In the 17th and 18th centuries, boys of age three or four were put in breeches, which are basically shorts," Hanson said.

PHOTO: POOL/MASHABLE

'Breeching' dates back to the mid-16th century. It describes the first moment a young boy dresses in breeches rather than a gown or dress. "From the late 18th century, it just became the thing to put young boys in shorts," Hanson said. "Trousers were something to be worn by men, and little boys would be put in shorts," he said.

Prince William and Prince Harry, similarly wore shorts until there were around eight, serve as examples of this royal tradition followed in Britain. According to Hanson, the tradition is still being upheld by the royal family and many other members of the British upper class.



"It has a little to do with the snob factor. A lot of mothers want their little boys to dress like little boys rather than like men," Hanson shared.

Dressing young boys in trousers is something of a "suburban practice", Hanson explained. "The royal family is not suburban. That doesn’t mean it's ‘common; it's just a different set of values," Hanson concluded.

This article originally appeared on Mashable.

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