As his late mother lies in state at Westminster Hall, Prince Andrew gathered his siblings for a “final vigil” around her coffin while donning his military uniform.
After King Charles removed a restriction on his donning the uniform, the Duke of York, 62, was seen traveling to the vigil in London with his younger brother, Prince Edward, while dressed in full regalia.
The Queen’s children attended a comparable Vigil of the Princes service on Monday in St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, where they gathered near their mother’s casket.
Prince Andrew did not wear his military uniform for the event because he is no longer a working royal.
The Duke of York and the Duke of Sussex were not wearing their uniforms; instead, they were dressed in suits when they escorted the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Tuesday along with her children and Princes William and Harry.
The Falklands War veteran was permitted to wear his uniform while Andrew reenacted the traditional ritual with his brothers this evening, in which they “took guard” around their mother’s coffin.
King Charles is said to have eased the restriction on Andrew’s uniform as a ‘mark of respect for his mother’.
The King, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward guarded their mother’s casket this evening for ten minutes in silence while onlookers walked by.
Other members of the Royal family, such as Prince Edward’s wife Sophie Wessex, Zara Tindall and Mike, a daughter of Princess Anne, and Beatrice and Eugenie, children of Prince Andrew, observed from the stands.
As the royal family paid their respects to the late queen, the new Queen Consort Camilla was also present in the stands.
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, the husband of Princess Beatrice, raised his hands to his face and watched the ceremonial vigil with an obviously moved expression.
The Duke of Sussex is anticipated to be permitted to wear his military uniform during a separate vigil for the Queen tomorrow night, in what has been dubbed a victory for “common sense” after King Charles overturned the prohibition on both Andrew and Harry wearing their military uniforms.
According to reports, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex will participate in a special 15-minute vigil in Westminster Hall with the Queen’s other six grandchildren.
In a gesture reminiscent of the Vigil of the Princes, it is expected that the eight grandchildren would stand silently by the Queen’s casket as a sign of respect.