Archie’s Jeans and George’s Shorts! How the Royal Style Rules Differ for Each Family

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and their children Archie and Lili showcased a California-casual look in their 2021 holiday card, but one piece of clothing will be of particular interest to royal watchers: Archie’s jeans!

The 2-year-old is blazing a relatively new fashion trail for members of the royal family, who typically keep their young boys in shorts until they are 8 years old — just ask Prince George.

 

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s older son, who just marked his 8th birthday in July, has only recently graduated to more grownup attire after appearing in shorts and knee socks for most of his life until this year.

The only notable exceptions to this rule — which can also be seen in the clothing worn by George’s younger brother, 3-year-old Prince Louis — were when George went country-chic in blue trousers tucked into Hunter boots for the Cambridges’ 2018 holiday card shot at their Norfolk-based Anmer Hall estate, and when the formality of Prince Harry and Meghan’s May 2018 wedding called for a military-style ensemble similar to those worn by his uncle and father (with one sweet, personalized touch).

 

George’s go-to signature look as a young boy is “definitely a look for the royals,” Sophie Mirman, founder of royal favorite children’s wear store Trotters, told PEOPLE this summer, “and there is this rather strange thing in English schools where children have to wear shorts, even in the winter, with their freezing cold knees — it’s almost like an unwritten code