The new normal. Prince Harry is getting comfortable with not wearing his military uniform to events honoring the late Queen Elizabeth II, an insider exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly.
“He has come to terms with not wearing uniform on these occasions,” the source says of the Duke of Sussex, 37. “Whilst that’s disappointing in some senses, he’s just grateful to be present and honoring the queen. At the end of the day, it’s only a uniform.”
The question of whether Harry would wear his uniform for funeral events made headlines this week after Buckingham Palace confirmed that his uncle Prince Andrew was granted permission to wear his for the queen’s final vigil.
The Duke of York, 62, stepped down from all public duties in 2019 following Virginia Giuffre‘s allegations that he sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager. The U.K. native and Giuffre, 39, settled out of court earlier this year, but in January, Andrew was stripped of all his royal titles and patronages amid the scandal.
Harry, for his part, served in the British armed forces for 10 years. After he and Meghan Markle announced their plans to step down as senior working royals in January 2020, the former helicopter pilot lost his three honorary military titles: Captain General Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving.
After news broke that he wouldn’t receive the same uniform exception as his uncle, a spokesperson for Harry said that the BetterUp CIO wasn’t bothered by the dress code rules.
“[Prince Harry] will wear a morning suit throughout events honoring his grandmother,” the spokesperson said in a statement, according to royal correspondent Omid Scobie. “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.”
When Harry joined his brother, Prince William, to greet mourners outside Windsor Castle on Saturday, September 10, both men wore civilian clothing alongside their wives. An insider previously told Us that the new Prince of Wales, 40, invited Harry and Meghan, 41, to join him and Princess Kate for the outing. The appearance marked the first time the foursome had publicly reunited since March 2020, when they sat near each other for a Commonwealth Day event.
“Harry was very proud to have Meghan by his side,” the first source tells Us of the Windsor walkabout. “He thought she handled the occasion with great class and dignity.”
While speaking to mourners, the Invictus Games founder opened up about his grandmother, who died at age 96 on Thursday, September 8. “It’s a lonely place up there now without her,” he told well-wishers while pointing in the direction of Windsor Castle. “Every room she was in, you felt her presence throughout.”
For more on how Harry is coping after Elizabeth’s death, watch the video above and pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
