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Royal protocol broken? What George has been allowed that William and Harry weren'tPRINCE GEORGE turned six last week and his delightful birthday pictures were a treat for royal fans – but

they included a detail that was not seen in the childhoods of Prince William and Prince Harry.  By Anna Kretschmer 12:22, Wed, Jul 31, 2019 | UPDATED: 12:29, Wed, Jul 31, 2019 Share Article

Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments Prince George: A look back at his year on sixth birthday

Prince George celebrated his sixth birthday last week, on July 22. Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, who is an avid photographer, has started a tradition of releasing birthday images of her and

Prince William’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on their birthdays. This year, the adorable photos of a grinning Prince George delighted royal fans

everywhere, and featured a detail that has not been seen in previous generations of royal children.

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Pod Save the Queen is hosted by Ann Gripper and features the Daily Mirror’s Royal Editor Russell Myers and Style Director Amber Graafland. 

In the latest episode, the team discuss the delightful birthday photos.

Ms Gripper said: “I thought it was interesting that he was wearing the England football shirt.”

Ms Graafland interjected: “It’s not what we’re used to seeing the royals wearing, let’s be honest.” 

Prince George is seen giggling in his sixth birthday photos (Image: Getty)

Ms Gripper agreed: “No, definitely not!”

Although Prince William and Prince Harry have been seen donning sportswear to promote some of their charities, the sport the royal brothers are seen playing in their free time is polo, a

love they have inherited from Prince Charles.  

Prince Harry has taken things one step further, occasionally donning an England rugby shirt – albeit only as an adult. 

Ms Gripper went on to take a closer look at Prince George’s shirt.

READ MORE: The real reason Prince George never wears trousers in public

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She said: “It’s from last summer, from the men’s team.

“Prince William is an Aston Villa supporter, and he is Patron of the FA so he is very involved in football."

She added: “[George] is a future Prince of Wales though – he can be a fan of both!”

Although Diana famously tried to give her two boys as normal an upbringing as she could, often to the bemusement of Prince Charles, the two young princes were not pictured in sports gear and

very rarely even snapped in casual everyday wear.

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Teenage Prince William and Prince Harry in Canada in 1997 (Image: Getty)

It was something of a revelation in 1997 when the teenage princes, on a family holiday to Canada, were pictured trying on baseball jackets and hats.

That Prince George has been snapped in his favourite football kit for an officially released photo at such a young age marks another shift in protocol for royal images.

Other royal-watchers have commented on Prince George’s birthday pictures and how the heir to throne looks like any other normal happy boy.

Royal expert Phil Dampier said: “The football shirt is a nice touch because it portrays George like any other youngster, be they from a council estate or a Palace.

“William and Kate want George and their other children to grow up not feeling royal or special but just normal.

“It was quite a shock to William when he was a boy to discover his future was mapped out as King, and I’m not sure he has ever fully come to terms with it, at least not until recently.

“He wants George to grow up care-free as he will have plenty of responsibility later on.”

More usually, the six-year-old Prince can be spotted in shorts and long socks, just like his father and uncle when they were young boys. 

Little Prince Louis is also dressed in smart shorts, as can be seen in recent adorable images from Trooping the Colour.

There is a reason the royal youngsters are always dressed in shorts, as opposed to trousers, even when the weather is not as sweltering as it has been in recent weeks.

Etiquette expert William Hanson told Harpers Bazaar in 2018: "It's a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts.

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

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"Although times are (slowly) changing, a pair of trousers on a young boy is considered quite middle class – quite suburban."

However, despite the general protocol, George has been seen very occasionally wearing trousers.

For the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 2018 Christmas photo, he can be seen striking a cheeky pose as he holds on to his father Prince William.

The royal youngster is wearing blue trousers in the snap, which was a more informal moment for the family on their Anmer Hall country estate rather than a public engagement.

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