The Duke of Sussex was not allowed to wear his military uniform to the state burial on Monday at Westminster Abbey, as has been a topic of discussion during the ceremonial festivities surrounding the queen’s death.
Prince William, his older brother, and his father, King Charles III, wore their uniforms. In 2020, when he and his wife, Meghan Markle, left their positions as senior members of the royal family, Harry gave up his honorary military titles. The duke was first prohibited from wearing his military uniform to the vigil this weekend but was subsequently allowed to do so.
A spokesperson for Harry released a statement last week, saying, “Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex 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.”
As Harry didn’t wear his uniform to the burial, King Charles III did allow him to do so while he and William and his cousins stood vigil by his grandmother’s casket for 15 minutes of silence.
The Duke of Sussex stood at the queen’s feet, while the new Prince of Wales stood at her head. Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, the children of Princess Anne, flanked William, while Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew, flanked Harry. Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, the children of Prince Edward, stood in the center of the casket.
The four children of the late British monarch—King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward—were all seen on Friday standing beside her casket.
Following the long-reigning queen’s passing on September 8 at the age of 96, William and Harry also followed their grandmother’s casket as it was taken from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday.
At their mother, Princess Diana’s burial in 1997, the brothers made a legendary procession behind the coffin. They recently got back together in April 2021 for Prince Philip’s private burial in Windsor, England. They walked behind the coffin.