Never even registered before, but I have to go with Alfred being mentioned in the will. 
 
Golden age I just assumed he was raised by a family member as he was introduced as a adult.

Man just think what would have happened if Bruce hadn't turned to fighting crime. We could had a heavily cultured comic about a young man and his butler living it up Jeeves and Wooster style in a city of rampant crime and occasional superheroics.

I'm still stuck on Thomas Wayne Jr.

I always thought he was in an aunt-uncle-cousin kind of Wayne foster care system until he up and left the country, I kind of always wanted to see how that played out, I might have missed it. It'd be a pretty cool scene to see a 18 yr old, or whatever age, Bruce convincing Alfred he should go train to be a ninja.

Bruce and Alfred altered the paperwork
Thomas and Martha left Alfred as the guardian in their will
Any lawyer who tried to raise a stink while on the payroll of the multimillionaire Kanes would be rebuffed by the billion dollar Wayne lawyer
I say Uncle Philip was there...but not around too much. Busy I suppose? I mean Bruce did leave around 14, which would only really leave about 6 years in Wayne Manor anyways.

What was Alfred's Brother's name?
I believe you may find your Uncle Phillip answer somewhere there..

Nobody wanted the little jerk :P

Yeah... but now that you mention it... a Thomas Wayne will reading flashback would be really cool.  With everyone trying to get a piece and Bruce getting the bulk... and being intrusted to the butler.  Put that in the hands of a great writer (Morrison could do it justice) and you'd have a wonderful scene that wouldn't eff up the canon as far as I know.

Isn't Uncle Philip only part of Earth 1?

I don't think that its any less believable than a swinging bachelor becoming a guardian for 3 teenage boys. Money talks. 

Could it be possible that no one keep in contact with each other and there was rough family bonding 

" Part of parents will? they did respect Alfred "

You would think a rich little boy raised by a butler would end up like a Lindsay Lohan. Good thing Bruce had that vengeance thing going for him. 

" I don't think that its any less believable than a swinging bachelor becoming a guardian for 3 teenage boys. Money talks.  "

Alfred is like his uncle and he  know how to take care of him

wow never thougth of that

I find it interesting for a child to be raised by a butler.

interesting

" If my parents die they are leaving me in the custody of our gardener Pablo.... "  

Maybe it was always the Waynes dream that Bruce would one day grow to be a butler.

I don't have any references to back it up, but just from thinking about who Batman is I think the answer is that when Bruce's parents died Batman was born and Bruce understood that his mission to become the world's greatest crime fighter would be hindered if he had anybody other than Alfred as his legal guardian. Only Alfred, who could serve as a legal guardian, a surrogate father, a link to his parents, a mentor, and a loyal friend, could provide Bruce with all the things he needed to become the man he needed to be, and anybody else would get in the way. So he had to pull strings, as he always does, to keep that from happening.

@cosmo111687: As a nine year old boy ? I think that is a little far-fetched even for a Batman written by Morrison !  I think it's what most people have said, it was in the will.

I think that previously to the murder of the Waynes, Bruce couldn't have plotted anything like that. But with their death, he was fundamentally transformed as a person and was consumed by his drive to eventually become Batman.

@cosmo111687 said:

I think that previously to the murder of the Waynes, Bruce couldn't have plotted anything like that. But with their death, he was fundamentally transformed as a person and was consumed by his drive to eventually become Batman.

 Naturally, but you've left me wondering since you reminded me of Tommy Elliot ! Hush is fucking awesome, damn Selina !

I think, Bruce is want becoz of Alfred ...

By the way, here's that image of Uncle Philip that always drove me crazy. Not knowing who he was supposed to be. Now we're finding out in Zero Year.

Thomas and Martha Wayne had Alfred down in their will as Bruce's guardian in the event of their deaths.

Pretty simple, really.

I tend to agree. Alfred seemed to butler, and not parent. Which makes his childhood pretty creepy

There was an explanation somewhere, but I forget what the explanation was... It was something like Bruce wanted it this way and he convinced Alfred Pennyworth and Leslie Thompkins to allow him to be raised by Alfred with oversight by Leslie and likewise his guardianship was awarded to them and so Lesli and Alfred are like his mother and father. I also think I remember there being something in the will to allow Alfred to raise him, rather than the Kanes. This can and does happen in the real world. Custody of the child does not go directly to those related... It goes to who is in the will first, the close kin, then into an orphanage.

because why not

I always assumed Alfred was a godfather or something....since he was more than just a butler to the family.

@muyjingo: I agree he is way more than just a butler, he IS family.

He is the butler in title because Bruce is old money and it is what is acceptable. How many teary-eyed stories about Bruce's parents does Alfred need to tell? He was obviously closer to the Wayne's than any blood relative. Who better to remind Bruce of who his parents were. Alfred indulges Bruce's mission, he is often a voice of reason but he helps Bruce be Batman.

Probably for the same reason Batman gives Alfred the highest level of security clearance to the Bat Cave. People trust Alfred. Even people that hate Batman trust Alfred.