Since the death of the Queen, Prince Harry has been seen back in the public spotlight paying respects to his grandmother. On Wednesday the Duke of Sussex was seen walking behind the Queen’s coffin as it was moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
Scroll back up to restore default view. Most of his family members were wearing military uniforms – except for the Duke of York – but Prince Harry was not, despite his significant amount of experience in the army.
Why was the Prince of Wales in military uniform but the Duke of Sussex was not?
Prince Harry served for 10 years in the army, including two tours in Afghanistan, and has been seen wearing military uniforms at previous public events.
His older brother Prince William was commissioned as a lieutenant in the army and served for five months as the leader of an armoured reconnaissance unit based in Dorset.
He also spent two years working as a helicopter pilot for the RAFs Search and Rescue force and later with the East Anglian Air Ambulance but he never served in active combat.
But when it came time to appear besides the Queen’s coffin Prince William was given the right to wear a military uniform but Prince Harry was not.
Only serving members of the Royal Family have been allowed to wear a military uniform while at public events commemorating the Queen. This has excluded Prince Harry as well as Prince Andrew.
Prince Harry lost his honorary military titles when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020 and Prince Andrew was stripped of them in early 2022 amid the scandal about his relationship with paedophile billionaire Jeffery Epstein.
Prince Harry retains the current rank of captain but he lost the title of Captain General of the Royal Marines after he left the Royal Family.
When the procession through London passed the Cenotaph the royals in uniform saluted, while Prince Harry bowed and Prince Andrew performed “eyes right” and looked at the memorial.
Although there was speculation Prince Harry was unhappy he was denied the right to wear a military uniform a spokesperson for the Duke denied this.
The spokesperson said the Duke will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother. His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears, and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Why has an exception been made for Prince Andrew?
Although so far Prince Andrew has been seen in civilian clothes during the public events surrounding the Queen, he has been given an exception for the final vigil of the Queen in Westminster hall.
Known as the Vigil of the Princes, all of the Queen’s children will stand watch over her coffin at the end of her Lying-in-State. Neither Prince Harry or Prince William will take part.
When Prince Andrew took part in the Vigil of the Princes in Scotland he was wearing a mourning suit.