Figure 1.--This portrait shows Leopold as an older boy wearing one of his satin knickers suits. I'm not sure what color it was. Note the elongated collar. I'm not sure just what style his hat was.

Leopold wore a variety of satin suits. The suits themselves were rather basic, but they were worn with a variety of blouses give the outfits rather fancy appearances. We notice both kbeepants and below-the-knee knickers-length suits. As a younger boy these suits were kneepants and suits with very fancy blouses. As an older boy, he wore knicker-length pants with plain, but often very large, some times elonggated collars. Most these satin suits had open collars. We never note them worn with bows. The kneepants suits were worn with short socks as a younger boy and long above-the-knee stockings as an older boy. Many seem similar to those worn by the Bavarian royals at about the same time. These outfits were commonly worn with court shoes. They happear to have been made in a variety of colors. We have noted both light and dark colored suits, but we have no idea as to just what colors these suits were. The satin suits worn as a younger boy look to be light-pastel colors. We note some dark colors as an older boy. We are not sure just when these satin suits were actually worn. Some of the outfits had matching caos or hats, but we can not make out some of the styles.

Headwear

Some of the outfits had matching caos or hats, but we can not make out some of the styles. We can not, for example, quite make out the style of cap that he has here (figure 1). It almost looks like a rain cap. Headwear was commonly wornnat the time. So when the prince would go out, almost certainly he would wear some type of cap.

Collars

Most these satin suits had open collars. We never note them worn with bows.

Styles

Leopold wore a variety of satin suits. The suits themselves were rather basic, but they were worn with a variety of blouses give the outfits rather fancy appearances.

Pants

We notice both kneepants and below-the-knee knickers-length suits. As a younger boy these suits were kneepants and suits with very fancy blouses. Many of the kneepants are cut quite short, often looking more like short pants. As an older boy, Prince Leopold wore knicker-length pants with plain, but often very large, some times elonggated collars. We assume that age was the primary factor affecting whether Leopold wore kneepants or knickers suits, but have no written information to conform this. Seasonality could have been a factor as well. Prince Leopold appaers to have worn the kneepants style until he was about 12-years old.

Hosiery

The kneepants suits were worn with short socks as a younger boy and long above-the-knee stockings as an older boy. We are not sure what determined the type of hosiery. We think age was the primary factor. We do not think seasinality was an important factor as the long stockings he wears are sheer dress stockings, not heavy stockings worn in cold weather.

Footwear

These outfits were commonly worn with court shoes.

Colors

These suits appear to have been made in a variety of colors. We have noted both light and dark colored suits, but we have no idea as to just what colors these suits were. The satin suits worn as a younger boy look to be light-pastel colors. We note some dark colors as an older boy. We are not sure just when these satin suits were actually worn.

Age

Prince Leopold began wearing these satin suits after he was breached and seems to have worn them into his early teens. In the photograph here he looks to be about 13 years old (figure 1).

Bavarian Royals

Many of these suits seem similar to those worn by the Bavarian princes at about the same time. The boys knew each other and sometimes visited. The suits the boys wore were not identical, but certainly were very similar. Leopold III and his brother Charles and the Bavarian princes were first cousins.

Created: May 16, 2002
Last updated: May 27, 2002