Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment.

Shorts are always in style for Prince George.

New images were released Wednesday of the 9-year-old royal walking into Lambrook School in Berkshire for an orientation day with his family before the term officially begins. The start of the new school year is especially exciting for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4, as they enroll as new pupils at the prestigious prep school.

Walking hand-in-hand with mom Kate Middleton, the two young princes wore Lambrook's summer uniform. Prince George and Prince Louis looked ready for the classroom in short-sleeve white button-down shirts with a blue and green check print, navy Bermuda shorts, navy socks and black dress shoes. George's shoes were laced, while Louis slipped into loafers.

According to Lambrook's dress code, boys in grades Nursery through Year 8 are required to wear the summer uniform (which the princes were pictured wearing on Wednesday) from the first day of school until the first Exeat of the fall term. Six Exeat dates are set for Lambrook this year, where boarding students must leave the campus as it briefly closes. Then they'll switch to a winter uniform.

It was a style surprise to see Prince George in shorts instead of pants, as the third in line to the throne has worn longer bottoms in recent years. George mostly stuck to shorts paired with knee socks in public for the first years of his life, following a longtime British tradition among the royals.

"It is considered very suburban for a little boy to be in long trousers when he is just a little boy," Editor-in-Chief of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward previously told PEOPLE.

Though Seward noted that upper-class British boys usually wear shorts until they're age 8 (yes, even in the winter!), a special exception was made for Prince George to wear pants at age 4 for the 2018 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. There, the future king was outfitted in a miniature version of the frockcoat Blues and Royals uniform for his duties as a page boy.

In recent years, Prince George looked all grown up in a suit and tie for royal outings, including Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.

Also following school rules, Princess Charlotte stepped out for orientation day in her Lambrook uniform. Holding her father Prince William's hand, Charlotte strolled on school grounds in the requisite summer outfit for girls Years 3 to 8: a buttoned, belted navy gingham dress with navy blue ankle socks. On her feet, the little princess wore buckled Mary Janes, and her hair was back in two braids tying into a low ponytail.

A new adventure begins for the Cambridge kids when Lambrook starts classes on Thursday, where they'll join about 560 pupils at the co-ed institute just outside of Windsor.

Prince William and Kate's children enroll at the new school following the family's move from London to Windsor at the end of the summer. The relocation is said to not only prepare Prince George for the next stage of his education but also provide the entire family with the countryside lifestyle that they love so much.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

"They are such an outdoorsy family, London just wasn't working for them anymore," a source who knows the family told PEOPLE. "The countryside is definitely their happy place."

Prince George and Princess Charlotte previously studied at Thomas' School in Battersea, located four miles from their London home in Kensington Palace. Meanwhile, Prince Louis went to Willcocks Nursery School, where he had been enrolled since April 2021.