Why Prince William Never Wears Shorts (But His Kids Are Expected To)

England's royal family abides by a long list of guidelines regarding how they dress — including one that explains why Prince William almost never wears shorts, but his young children do. When Prince William's wife Kate Middleton donned shorts in the summer of 2019, it marked the first time she was spotted wearing a pair since marrying into the royal family nearly a decade prior (per People). And while there's technically no rule preventing royals from wearing shorts, they're generally considered too casual for adult members of the family. 

That said, as etiquette expert William Hanson once told Harper's Bazaar, it's actually the opposite for the children. In England, shorts are considered a status symbol for boys under the age of eight. "It's a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts," Hanson said. "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."

According to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, royal men like Prince William do wear shorts on occasion, though generally reserve them for things like beach vacations, sporting events, or something in between. Take, for instance, in March 2022, when William and his wife were spotted wearing shorts for a boat race at Montagu Beach in the Bahamas (per People).

As previously mentioned, the fact that shorts are generally reserved for younger members is hardly the only guideline the royal family has to abide by with respect to how they dress. In 2023, Deseret News put together a list of some of the lesser-known quirks regarding the royal dress code. For example, royals are apparently not allowed to wear brightly-colored nail polish, and royal women are encouraged to wear pantyhose whenever possible — at least, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Speaking of the late Queen Elizabeth, she also apparently disliked facial hair and expected all royal men to be clean-shaven while at home (per Vanity Fair). This made the bearded Prince Harry something of a rebel within the family. 

The prodigal Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle have also been open about some of the other fashion-related pressures they felt before leaving England. In the 2022 Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," Markle confessed that she tried to only wear neutral colors to avoid potentially outshining other members of the royal family. "To my understanding, you can't ever wear the same color as Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth II] if there's a group event," the Duchess of Sussex said (via Page Six). "But then you also should never be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family." Markle's solution was to fill her wardrobe with colors other members of the family seldom ever wore.