When will Prince George stop wearing shorts?

Prince George on the last day of their official visit to Poland and Germany. Photo / Getty Images

By Bianca London

All eyes have been on Prince George during his royal tour of Poland and Germany and eagle-eyed fans noticed one thing about the youngster.

The 4-year-old consistently wore shorts during his trip, and royal aficionados noted he's never in long trousers. But there's a very regal reason behind it.

Etiquette expert and MailOnline columnist, William Hanson, claims that shorts on young boys are, in fact, a silent British class marker and trousers are deemed "suburban", which no self-respecting royal would want to be regarded as.

He notes that it could well hark back to the 16th century tradition of "breeching", whereby newborn boys would don a dress for the first few years of their lives for potty training reasons, before being "breeched" - or switching to shorts.

He explains: "Not only does The Duchess of Cambridge have to worry about what she is wearing in public but she has to dress her own children and find a balance between royal tradition and heritage and more proletariat customs, such as the 'suburban' habit of making young boys wear trousers.

"Although I don't really think that the sartorial rule of shorts for young boys would be a new one for Catherine. I would suspect that her own mother and mother's friends knew this - as more well-heeled middle-class mothers do - and dressed their own boys accordingly."

He went on to explain that the little tot would no doubt be following traditions from a bygone era, which most aristocratic families - and public schools - obey.

The Duke and Duchess with Prince George and Princess Charlotte in Poland. Photo / Getty Images

"Shorts on young boys is one of those silent British class markers that deliberately harks back to a bygone age.

"British upper classes - and particularly royals - are especially keen to hold on to tradition so this sartorial one will silently mark them out from 'the rest'."

Prince William wearing the signature shorts, 1985. Photo / Getty Images

The breeching tradition

The bygone tradition of breeching was deemed a significant event in the life and when the boy reached the age of 8, he would move into trousers, which would often be celebrated with a party.