The Duke of Sussex will be donning his military uniform on Saturday in honour of his late grandmother. The Queen, who passed away last week at the age of 96, will be honoured in a vigil led by her grandchildren tomorrow as she lies in state at Westminster Hall.
The Queen's eight grandchildren, including Prince Harry and his brother, the Prince of Wales, will silently stand beside Her Majesty's coffin for 15 minutes as a mark of respect. For the occasion, Harry has been given special permission to wear his military colours, The Mirror reports.
Palace officials granted Harry permission to don his military colours after his uncle Prince Andrew was given permission to do the same ahead of a vigil today, which will be attended by the late Queen's four children. This move attracted great controversy as, like Harry, he is no longer a working member of the Royal Family; this is the occasion on which Andrew has been allowed to wear his military uniform following his mother's death.
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A royal source told The Mirror: "Common sense has prevailed. It was a ludicrous situation given the Duke of Sussex has served his country and is a highly respected member of the armed forces with everything he has done for veterans.
"It is important that the Queen's grandchildren are all made to feel welcome and comfortable as they grieve their beloved grandmother together."
William and Harry will be joined by their cousins Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, Zara and Peter Phillips, and Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn as they form part of the guard of honour on Saturday evening. Harry, who served in the British army for a decade including two tours of Afghanistan, had this week been at the centre of a row over whether he would be allowed to wear his Blues and Royals uniform.
After quitting his royal role in 2020 he was stripped of his cherished military appointments and banned from wearing his military uniforms in public. On Tuesday, Prince Harry, who served two front line tours of duty in Afghanistan, addressed the rule barring him from wearing his military uniform in a statement released through his spokesperson.
He confirmed he would be wearing a morning suit and asked that the 'focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II'.
A spokesperson for the Duke said: "Prince Harry 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."
On Wednesday, the King led his sons and other members of the royal family in a procession of the Queen’s coffin through the streets of London in her final departure from Buckingham Palace. But Harry was compelled to wear morning dress while the monarch, his brother the Prince of Wales and other close relatives were all in military uniform adorned with medals.
A royal source said: "This is purely as a mark of respect for the Duke’s late grandmother, who wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Her Majesty always stood for harmony and unity and this is a just decision."
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