Why Prince Harry Wasn’t In Military Uniform But Prince William Was
King Charles and senior members of the Royal Family accompanied the Queen’s coffin on her final procession through London during the ceremonies surrounding her funeral.
While Charles and the Prince of Wales were dressed in their military uniform, Prince Harry was in mourning garb, even though he did two tours in Afghanistan while in the military.
The Duke of York was also in civilian clothes, although he served in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot and instructor and as a captain of a warship.
The protocol around the dress code for some members of the royal family has been a highly publicized topic of discussion throughout the period of mourning.
Why Harry Wasn’t In Uniform
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, served 10 years in the military, including two tours in Afghanistan, and has been seen wearing military uniforms at previous public events.
Prince Williamwas commissioned as a lieutenant in the army and served for five months as the leader of an armored reconnaissance unit based in Dorset.
Look: Prince Harry banned from wearing uniform while mourning Queen
He also spent two years working as a helicopter pilot for the RAF Search and Rescue Force and later with the East Anglian Air Ambulance, but never saw active combat service.
But when it came time to appear behind the Queen’s coffin during her funeral procession, Prince William was allowed to wear a military uniform, but Prince Harry was not.
This is because only active members of the Royal family were permitted to wear military uniform at public events commemorating the Queen.
This ruled out Harry as well as Prince Andrew.
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Harry lost his honorary military titles when he stepped down as a senior royal in 2020.
Andrew was stripped of it in early 2022 amid the scandal over his relationship with billionaire pedophile Jeffery Epstein.
The Duke of Sussex retains the current rank of Captain, but he lost the title of Captain General of the Royal Marines after leaving the Royal Family.
As the funeral procession passed the Cenotaph in central London, members of the royal family in uniform saluted the monument, while those in civilian dress bowed their heads.
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Although there has been speculation that Harry was unhappy at being denied the right to wear a military uniform, a spokesman for the duke denied last week.
The spokesperson said the duke “will wear a morning suit at events honoring his grandmother”.
“His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears, and we respectfully request that the focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
Harry was allowed to wear military uniform at a vigil for the Queen by her grandchildren on Saturday during her statehood – just like Prince Andrew was.
However, he was reported to be upset after the initials ER – traditionally worn by those in the service of the monarch – were removed from the shoulder pads of his uniform.
Why was an exception made for Prince Andrew during the pretrial?
Although Andrew was widely seen in civilian clothes at public events surrounding the Queen, he was given an exception for the Queen’s final vigil at Westminster Hall on Friday evening.
Known as the Vigil of the Princes, all of the Queen’s children watched over her coffin when she was finished in state.
The exception for Andrew is believed to have been made as a ‘special mark of respect’ for the Queen – a move which sparked a backlash in some quarters among those angry at the disgraced Duke of York who was granted such honor despite having had his royal titles stripped in disgrace.
King Charles’ uniform
The King wore the Royal Navy No. 1 Tail Coat with Sword, Collar of the Order of the Garter, Order of the Thistle Sash, Order of the Neck of the Order of Merit, Star of the garter and the star of the thistle.
He also wore life-size medals including the Queen’s Order of Service (New Zealand), Coronation Medal, Silver Jubilee Medal, Golden Jubilee Medal, Diamond Jubilee Medal , the Platinum Jubilee Medal, and Naval Good Conduct (LSGC) (three x additional service bars).
Other medals include the Canadian Forces Decoration (three x additional service bars), the New Zealand Commemorative Medal and the New Zealand Armed Forces Award.
Charles had a six-year military career, mostly flying for the Royal Navy.
Prince William’s uniform
The Prince of Wales wore the No. 1 RAF uniform with the Garter Sash with the RAF Pilot’s Wings and the Garter Star Chest Order.
He also wore the Gold, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals.
William spent seven years in the military, including more than three years as a search and rescue pilot.