Prince George Wears Plaid Pants In New Portrait of Four Royal Generations

published 4 January 2020

And on the third day (of January), God gave us Prince George wearing plaid pants. Yes, the rumors are true: In a new portrait released Friday evening UK time, George, the youngest of the immediate heirs to the British throne, is photographed standing with the three in front of him in line, Prince William, Prince Charles, and, of course, the Queen. It's a lovely, regal portrait, but do not allow yourself to be distracted. The most important part is that Prince George is wearing plaid pants.

First: The plaid! Prince George was clearly paying attention at last spring's Paris Fashion Week, where designers' fall/winter collections were filled with plaid. Or perhaps, even more likely, the bold choice is symbolic. Like his mother, Kate Middleton, and aunt, Meghan Markle, who often use their clothes as an opportunity to send a message or champion certain designers, Prince George (or, really, in this case the royal family since a six-year-old likely isn't dressing himself for a moment like this!) could be saying something with this fashion pick. In spite of Scottish independence efforts in recent years, and in spite of the ongoing shadow of Brexit, George wearing what appears to be Scottish Black Watch tartan trousers in this portrait shows that the royal family continues to take pride in the future of their union.

Second: Long pants! If you keep up with George, you'll know that he is almost always seen in shorts. That's because, per royal tradition, trousers are reserved for "older" boys. (I quote: "It is considered very suburban for a little boy to be in long trousers when he is just a little boy.") Now he's the oldest of three, now that he's six years old (seven later this year!), George is no longer a "little" boy. The not-so-little prince has been photographed before wearing long trousers, but not in a formal setting like this one. Not in a photograph that will hang on the hallowed halls of Buckingham Palace for decades to come. Centuries!

Event, Government, Family pictures, — Prince George, in shorts, in the last formal photo taken of the four successors to the throne.

Feeling blessed? Inspired? Yes, me too. If you, too, badly want your own pair of plaid trousers, we've taken the liberty of collecting a few of our favorites for you. Don't thank us. Thank Prince George.

Tibi Sebastian Checked Pants

J.Crew Cameron Slim Crop Pants

Velvet by Graham & Spencer Cropped Plaid Pants

J.CREW Frankie Black Watch Tartan Pants

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Jenny is the Digital Director at Marie Claire. A graduate of Leeds University, and a native of London, she moved to New York in 2012 to attend the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She was the first intern at Bustle when it launched in 2013 and spent five years building out its news and politics department. In 2018 she joined Marie Claire, where she held the roles of Deputy Digital Editor and Director of Content Strategy before becoming Digital Director. Working closely with Marie Claire's exceptional editorial, audience, commercial, and e-commerce teams, Jenny oversees the brand's digital arm, with an emphasis on driving readership. When she isn't editing or knee-deep in Google Analytics, you can find Jenny writing about television, celebrities, her lifelong hate of umbrellas, or (most likely) her dog, Captain. In her spare time, she writes fiction: her first novel, the thriller EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD, was published with Minotaur Books (UK) and Little, Brown (US) in February 2024 and became a USA Today bestseller. She has also written extensively about developmental coordination disorder, or dyspraxia , which she was diagnosed with when she was nine.