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LONDON -- Prince George might just021 Archivesthe best dressed three-year-old around.

Not a day goes by without the little prince sporting a quintessentially British ensemble, complete with his signature shorts and knee socks.

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George's shorts-wearing has been a constant in Britain and around the world almost from his birth. But the adoring public might not know the reason behind his sartorial choices.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Prince George of Cambridge visits the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Etiquette expert William Hanson told Mashablethat George's propensity for wearing shorts actually stems from an age-old aristocratic tradition, one that the royal family has been sticking to for generations.

"The reason is predominantly to do with social class because everything in British society is to do with social class," Hanson told Mashable.

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November 1951: King George VI with Prince Charles on his third birthday. Credit: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Hanson says that the reason for wearing shorts also has "historical roots" and is a "custom we can trace back to the 16th century". "If you look back at old paintings of children from aristocratic families, you see little boys aged two and under dressed as girls, wearing gowns and dresses," Hanson continued. "In the 17th and 18th centuries, boys of age three or four were put in breeches, which are basically shorts," said Hanson.

Prince William on his first day at nursery school on September 24, 1985. Credit: David Levenson/Getty Images Princess Diana with Prince William And Prince Harry at Aberdeen Airport. Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images

'Breeching' dates back to the mid-16th century and pertains to the first moment a young boy dresses in breeches rather than a gown or dress.

"From the late 18th century, it just became the thing to put young boys in shorts," Hanson said. "Trousers were something to be worn by men, and little boys would be put in shorts."

This aristocratic tradition is still being upheld by the royal family and countless other members of the British upper crust, according to Hanson.

"It has a little to do with the snob factor. A lot of mothers want their little boys to dress like little boys rather than like men," Hanson told Mashable.

Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Charles at Windsor Great Park, during a polo match, 1956. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images

Dressing young boys in trousers is something of a "suburban practice", says Hanson."The royal family is not suburban. That doesn’t mean it's ‘common;’ it's just a different set of values," Hanson continued.

BONUS: Journalist dresses as Prince George for a week