Amid the pomp and protocol of the procession bringing the body of the late Queen Elizabeth II to lie in London’s Westminster Hall on Wednesday, there was a visible symbol of the royal family’s painful fractures.
Neither Prince Andrew nor Prince Harry were allowed to wear military dress and were very notably in civilian clothes as King Charles III, Prince William and Princess Anne saluted the queen, according to the Daily Mail.
As the procession moved past them, they looked down at the ground while those in uniform saluted.
Prince Harry and Prince Andrew bowed their head instead of saluting as the Queen’s coffin was carried into Westminster Hall.https://t.co/Vo5Gqpkc12
— Metro (@MetroUK) September 14, 2022
Prince Harry, the son of the king and the late Princess Diana, walked away from his life as a working member of the royal family when he and his wife, Meghan Markle, moved to California. During that time the distance has been more than geography, as the two have criticized members of the royal family.
Prince Harry had served two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
Prince Andrew, the second son of the queen, was stripped of his royal duties due to his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and a since-settled sexual assault lawsuit.
The Mirror reported that Prince Andrew will be allowed to wear a uniform during the final vigil held for the queen at Westminster Hall as a “special mark of respect.”
Should the two be allowed to wear a military uniform?
Yes: 40% (87 Votes)
No: 60% (130 Votes)
The report noted that the change in protocol was considered appropriate because all of the queen’s other children would be wearing uniforms.
Prince Andrew is expected to wear the uniform of a vice admiral in the royal navy, according to the Mail.
Andrew will not, however, be allowed to wear a uniform at the queen’s funeral in Westminster Abbey or her burial at Windsor Castle.
Prince Harry the only Veteran to Serve in live Combat in Afghanistan, for over 10 years from the Royal Family, are now being Disrespected, by those who did not have the guts to defend Britain in war. and are now refusing him the honor to wear his uniform in a final respect to QE2 pic.twitter.com/qhGi3tWhb5
— sussexopulence (@sussexopulence) September 12, 2022
CNN noted that Prince Harry will remain out of uniform in all upcoming events and referenced a statement from a representative for the prince.
“[Prince Harry] will wear a morning suit throughout events honoring his grandmother,” the statement said.
“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,” the statement said.
In an Op-Ed in the Sun, Piers Morgan wrote that although he considers Harry a “petulant brat,” he was being mistreated.
“I don’t think it’s right that he has been banned from wearing his uniform at events to commemorate the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. I know the ‘rules’ say he can’t because only working royals can wear uniforms. But there are times when such protocol and rules need to be torn up, and common sense applied, and this is one of them.”
Morgan noted that by allowing Prince Andrew to wear a uniform, the distinction is given to “a man who befriended a billionaire pedophile and recently paid a woman he claims he never met $10 million to avoid a civil court case in which he was accused of sexual assault, the most serious allegations against a senior Royal in my lifetime.”
