The reason Prince George was forced to wear shorts at a wedding in 10°C weather.

The temperature may be cooling in England with the advent of autumn, but interest in the world’s arguably favourite royal – Prince George – is perennial; which is why we noticed what he wore to a wedding on the weekend.

While attending the wedding of one of the Duchess of Cambridge‘s closest friends, Sophie Carter, on Saturday, Prince George, five, was wearing shorts –  despite the average temperature of the day being a chilly 10°C.

Photos of the occasion, which were published in People, show George and his sister, Princess Charlotte, three, having a right royal time at the wedding (you can see the pictures here).

The cutest royals were part of the bridal party; Charlotte (who has Sophie as one of her godparents) was one of three bridesmaids, and Prince George was one of four pageboys. Their wedding attire was by children’s designer, Amaia. Princess Charlotte wore an ivory linen dress with royal blue embroidering, and George wore blue shorts with an off-white linen shirt.

But Prince George’s shorts were not just simply about the wedding party.

They were worn because in England, if you’re a royal, shorts don’t mean the same thing they would if you were trying to enter a fancy-pants (pun intended) restaurant in Australia.

You see, they are not seen as casual attire – in fact, there’s a very regal reason why shorts are mandatory for little boys.

“It is considered very suburban for a little boy to be in long trousers when he is just a little boy,” said the Editor-in-Chief of Majesty magazine, Ingrid Seward, in an interview with People.

“Boys wear trousers until they are eight… it is very English."

Etiquette expert, William Hanson, also said the tradition is status-related.

“Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent class markers that we have in England,” he told Harper's Bazaar UK.

"This is, historically, perhaps due to the practice of 'breeching', which dates back to the sixteenth century. A newborn boy would be dressed in a gown for their first year or two (these gowns have survived as the modern Christening robe) and then he was 'breeched' and wore articles of clothing that more resembled shorts or trousers than dresses."

This is the reason why earlier this year, at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, it was noticeable that for the first time in public, Prince George was not wearing shorts, but a cute replica military uniform matching his dad, Prince William.