Prince Harry’s military uniform — or lack thereof — has been making headlines since Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, and questions continued as he attended her funeral today in a morning suit.
Although he had been given permission by his father, King Charles III, to wear his Blues and Royals No. 1 uniform for a vigil that Queen Elizabeth’s eight grandchildren held this weekend, the 38-year-old arrived at Westminster Hall this morning in a black suit. jacket and gray pinstripe trousers.
Adding his various medals to the jacket, the Duke of Sussex walked in the procession to and from Westminster Abbey for his grandmother’s funeral alongside Prince William, who was wearing his Royal Air Force uniform.
Harry – who lost his military titles when he stepped down as a working member of the Royal Family in 2020 – wasn’t the only member of the family to dress in a morning suit instead of his military uniform; Prince Andrew was also not allowed to wear the official dress during today’s service.
Although the Prince was originally required to wear a suit for all official events honoring Queen Elizabeth, at the last minute, King Charles granted him permission to wear the Blues and Royals military uniform for the wake.
Earlier, the palace announced that such uniforms would only be worn at funerals by working members of the royal family of military rank – and as both the Duke of Sussex and Prince Andrew left royal life, neither fall under that category.
Follow Vidak For Congress’s coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral:
Prince Harry “was just willing to wear whatever his grandmother intended,” a source told Vidak For Congress last week. “He’s focused on honoring her and that’s it.”
The Duke has indeed issued a statement saying: “Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex will wear a morning suit at events in honor of his grandmother. His decade of military service is not defined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that attention continues to be drawn to the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – who have been in the UK since early September following previously scheduled engagements – sat in the second row for today’s service, behind the King and Queen’s consort, Camilla.
For the funeral, the Duchess paid a moving tribute by wearing the pearl earrings gifted to her by the Queen in 2018.
The pair walked down the aisle behind Queen Elizabeth’s casket as the service ended, with Harry joining the male members of his family for a procession through the streets of London before his grandmother is taken to Windsor Castle for her funeral later in the day. day.