This Is the reason Prince George only ever wears shorts

Many column inches have been filled with opinion on whether Prince George's rather traditional wardrobe is suitable for a modern monarch-to-be. However, the more eagle-eyed royal watchers will have spotted that the three-year-old is never pictured in long trousers.

Yep; Prince George is dressed almost exclusively in shorts... and for a very posh reason:

"It's a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts," etiquette expert William Hanson explains to Harpers Bazaar UK.

"Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent class markers that we have in England.”

And a quick glance at the family album reveals that Kate Middleton isn't the first duchess to dress her boys accordingly. Here's the late Princess Diana with Prince Charles, William and Harry - both boys with bare legs and those ubiquitous T-bar sandals.

And here we have Prince George on the left, wearing the same shorts and blouse combo Prince William rocked in 1984...

"The British upper set are always keen to hold on to tradition, Hanson says, “and this one also silently marks them out from 'the rest'."

“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. Even the Duchess of Cambridge."

In fairness, we're quite pleased we'll be seeing more of these spiffing ensembles in the near future.

So there you have it, looks like there's more to Kate's styling than meets the eye. Now, how does she keep the little Prince's knees so clean?