As I was looking through our photo archives, I realized that Prince William has actually visited Scotland several times in recent months. He attended one day of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on August 1, he attended the Order of the Thistle service one month prior, and during that same Scottish trip, he visited a homeless project in Aberdeen. He also visited a Scottish pub in January. So, four major appearances in Scotland this year, with one more to come when he flies in with his family for the annual Balmoral church ride photo-op. And at no point has William worn a kilt. He refuses! He hates kilts, and not only that, he doesn’t seem to be a fan of any Scottish designers or Highland fashions. Everyone in the UK should get used to these kinds of headlines in the years to come as well: “Prince William Might End This 170-Year-Old Royal Tradition…” He’s going to be ending traditions all over the place! “Refusing to wear a kilt” is merely one tradition-stoppage in a long-ass list.

A longstanding royal fashion tradition could be going by the wayside when Prince William becomes king someday. As we speak, members of the royal family are headed up to Balmoral, their beloved late summer retreat in the Scottish Highlands. While there, King Charles often wears a kilt, an integral part of Scottish heritage—but it’s a tradition William seems less interested in participating in.

Charles is often seen wearing a kilt in an array of tartans while in Scotland, and will no doubt be spotted doing so when he is in Aberdeenshire imminently. As The Mirror reported, there is no official obligation for members of the royal family to wear kits while in Scotland, but it’s a “tradition that the king decides to keep alive.”

William, for his part—despite having many chances to do so, including at countless royal engagements in Scotland in his adult years—hasn’t worn a kilt publicly since he was a child (and likely didn’t have a lot of say in the matter). William, known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, went to college in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews. Upon his graduation in 2005, he notably opted out of wearing a kilt. Instead, he wore a white bow tie and black silk academic gown with red lining.

In addition to the king, generations of royals have donned a kilt for public appearances in Scotland, including Charles’s father and William’s grandfather, Prince Philip. The tradition of royals wearing kilts dates back to the 19th century, according to Hello!. The royal family even has its own traditional tartan, the Balmoral tartan, which was created by Prince Albert in 1857 and is gray, black, and red, The Mirror reported.

William has never publicly addressed his perceived aversion to kilts, but he has been called out for it. A 2022 article in The Times included the line “please wear a kilt” in its headline. In the piece, John Sugden, proprietor of Campbell’s of Beauty—a tailor that received a prestigious royal warrant—said, “It would be wonderful to see him in a kilt and Highland regalia. It would help keep up the tradition and give the industry a much needed boost.”

[From InStyle]

They write these kilt stories every so often, trying to openly persuade him into wearing one and William still refuses. In my opinion, William seems to think the “dressing up for certain aspects of the job” part of royal life is stupid. He’s a 44 years old man who acts like a toddler refusing to wear shoes. He doesn’t want to wear the velvet capes OR the nylon capes. He doesn’t want to wear kilts. He doesn’t want to show up for war commemorations or veterans. He doesn’t want to show up for England’s national football teams. I doubt he even wants to wear most of those honorary military uniforms as well. Why can’t everyone leave William alone so he can watch box sets and go vroom-vroom over to Houghton Hall??

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.