Only Working Royals to Wear Military Uniforms at Ceremonial Events for Queen Elizabeth. At events like the Service of Thanksgiving in Edinburgh and the State Funeral, only working royals will be wearing military uniforms—which means we won't see Prince Harry or Prince Andrew in their uniforms.
Why wasn't Harry allowed to wear his military uniform to the funeral? According to People, only royals that are “working members of royal family who hold military rank” were permitted to wear their uniforms at the funeral.
Instead, Her Majesty's grandson and son will appear in casual funeral attire with the other guests. This resulted from Buckingham Palace's declaration that only members of the employed royal family would be permitted to wear military uniforms at Monday's state burial.
Although the King granted his youngest son permission to wear his military uniform while paying respects to the late Queen, Prince Harry reportedly made “no specific requests concerning his outfit for the coronation,” and was instead “willing to wear whatever was asked of him,” according to The Telegraph.
Prince Harry has been given special permission by the King to wear military uniform when attending a vigil at his grandmother's coffin. The Duke of Sussex was stripped of his military titles after giving up life as a working royal and moving to the United States with his wife, Meghan.
However, neither of them will be permitted to wear their military uniforms at the Queen's funeral while other family members will, despite some only having honorary roles in the military. This is due to royal protocal that demands only working royals can wear military get-up at the funeral.
Buckingham Palace said that only working members of the royal family would wear military uniform for the big ceremonial events taking place during the mourning period for the Queen. Since both Harry and Andrew have stepped away from their royal duties, they wore civilian clothes, despite being retired service members.
However, Harry has now lost the honorary Navy and RAF ranks. The Duke of Sussex was appointed Captain General Royal Marines in December 2017, succeeding his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the role. That role was also one of the three military appointments he returned to the Queen.
Only working royals are allowed to wear military uniforms at five ceremonial events. An exception has been granted to Prince Andrew, however, who will be allowed to wear a military uniform to the Queen's funeral.
The reason for this once again came down to status: King Charles and Prince William wore their uniforms and Harry wore morning dress, Hanson said, because they are “serving members of the Royal Family and [Harry] The Duke of Sussex is not.”
Prince Harry Is Not Granted Permission to Wear a Military Uniform to the Queen's Funeral.
However, the King did give his personal permission for both the Duke and his uncle, Prince Andrew, to wear military uniform “as a special mark of respect” at the final vigil for the late Queen at Westminster Hall ahead of the funeral service.
Why does Princess Anne wear a uniform? Princess Anne, 72, is usually decked out in full military uniform at important royal events, but curiously, she's never been in the military. Instead, the reason she is allowed to wear a military uniform, is that she has several honours and titles.
For Prince Harry, Afghanistan was likely very similar as it was for other troops. Both Harry and the Royal Family were insistent that he receive no special treatment. Harry served two tours in Afghanistan that began in secret.
Prince Andrew and Harry, no longer official working royals, wore civilian attire – a black tie with black morning coat – though they did wear medals. For female members of the royal family, tradition prescribes the wearing of black, with a black hat and an optional veil.
Prince Harry served in the Army for ten years, rising to the rank of Captain and undertaking two tours of Afghanistan. He continues to work in support of his fellow servicemen, promoting support for wounded men and women as they adapt to life post-injury.
Prince Harry and Meghan no longer receive money from the Royal Family and have a series of commercial arrangements with a number of companies.
Prince Harry has more medals than his brother. William, as a future king, was made Knight of the Garter in 2008 by his grandmother; coincidentally, St George's Chapel is also the mother church of...
That's because only working members of the Royal Family have been allowed to wear a military uniform while at public events commemorating the Queen. This has excluded Harry as well as Prince Andrew. Harry lost his honorary military titles when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.
As Hello! magazine points out, Prince Harry isn't allowed to salute because it's “a military custom in which a soldier signals respect to a superior rank.” When he stepped down as a senior member of the royal family , he gave up his military titles and, therefore, isn't permitted to carry out formal greetings—like a ...
She wore a red silk coat dress inspired by the military uniform tunics of Grenadier Guards, the Household Division regiment she recently became ceremonial Colonel of. The look reflects her rank with epaulettes, “The Grenade Fired Proper” embroidered in gold bullion on the collar and gold bullion back slashes.
Kate, Princess of Wales, is Colonel of the Irish Guards, having been awarded the military rank in 2022 by King Charles III. The king is about to celebrate his first Trooping the Colour ceremony, but despite her rank in his Armed Forces, Kate is "not expected" to wear a military uniform, according to a source.
Other times, royals collect military ranks and uniforms as honorifics. Princess Anne didn't serve in the military, but she can wear military trousers because she is an honorary rear admiral. In addition to his earned military ranks, Prince Charles is the honorary colonel in chief of 17 regiments of the armed services.
During Queen Elizabeth II's funeral at Westminster Abbey, the palace seated Harry and Meghan directly behind Harry's father, King Charles III, and the Queen Consort Camilla. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were among other royal family members, right at the foot of the high altar.
Prince Harry. Harry was in morning dress and had a star around his neck, which indicates that he is the Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO).