The Gist
The royal family is known for its traditions and protocol, particularly when it comes to style.
For not only members of the royal family, but also upper and upper middle class boys, it’s tradition to wear shorts until boys reach the age of 7.
But for Christmas Day 2024, Prince Louis—who was then 6 years old—opted for trousers, likely to brave the U.K. chill on December 25.
Prince Louis made his Christmas walk debut at Sandringham when he was 4 years old in 2022, and in his three public appearances on December 25, he hasn’t been afraid to break a little royal tradition.
For Christmas Day in 2024, Louis was 6 years old—he has since turned 7 back in April. Per royal tradition, royal boys under the age of 7 wear shorts, but Louis wore pants for last year’s traditional Christmas walk to church at St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate. (Who can blame the guy in the chilly Christmas Day U.K. temperatures?)
Getty Images
Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Prince George of Wales attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024
Along with other members of the royal family, Louis waved to the crowds of well-wishers gathered to catch a glimpse of the royal family. His breaking tradition, The Mirror reported, was a sign that his parents Prince William and Kate Middleton “are adopting a more relaxed approach to protocol,” the outlet reported, also noting that Louis wore pants the year prior in 2023.
Speaking to Hello!, British etiquette expert William Hanson said of royal boys not wearing pants until they are 7 years old exists “because upper class and upper middle class parents believe that little boys should look like little boys, and so try to keep their offspring looking as cute and innocent for as long as possible.”
Getty
Prince Louis and Kate Middleton on December 25, 2023
At Christmas last year, Louis—as he is prone to do—sent the crowds into “peals of laughter,” as the well-wishers could hear what was going on inside St. Mary Magdalene over the speakers projecting outside. The Sun reported that at one point, the clergyman asked if the children in attendance had received any sweets for Christmas. To this, Louis “was heard happily answering loudly,” responding with an enthusiastic reply of, “Marshmallows.”
While mingling with well-wishers, the Prince and Princess of Wales’s youngest child “looked visibly excited” by the large haul of gifts he received, from Christmas crackers to candy, chocolates, and stuffed animals, per The Daily Mail.
Getty
Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis, and Prince William
Sweet Louis’s hands became so full of gifts that he “appeared to struggle to keep hold of everything he received,” per The Daily Mail, causing him to adorably turn to his father William and ask, “Papa, can you carry some?”
Read the original article on InStyle