All for Grannie. As Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchildren held a special vigil ahead of her state funeral, Prince Harry was able to wear his military dress uniform despite initial back-and-forth rulings.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, marched behind older brother Prince William as they entered Westminster Hall on Saturday, September 17. The twosome both wore military ensembles as they took their places on opposite ends of the queen’s casket. Harry and the Prince of Wales, 40, were joined by their cousins: Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall (née Phillips), Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. The queen and the late Prince Philip’s eight grandchildren then held a solemn moment of silence for Her Majesty, who died on September 8 at the age of 96.
While William and Harry’s cousins all wore mourning outfits on Saturday, there was previously speculation if Harry would also wear a black suit or his military uniform. After the Archewell cofounder and wife Meghan Markle stepped down from their roles as senior royals in 2020, Harry was subsequently stripped of his honorary military titles.
Harry — who served in the British military for 10 years — had been barred from wearing his uniform to the Westminster Hall procession on Wednesday, September 14, like his uncle Prince Andrew. (The Duke of York, 62, had stepped down from public duties in 2019 after being accused of sexual assault, which was settled out of court. Andrew was later stripped of his royal titles in January.) Eagle-eyed royal viewers also noticed that Harry did not salute his grandmother’s casket during the march, whereas his father, King Charles III, William and other family members did.
Andrew, for his part, had been allowed to wear a military uniform only for a vigil for his late mother on Friday, September 16. Andrew, the 73-year-old king, Princess Anne and Prince Edward all wore uniforms as they took a shift around their late mother’s coffin.
Despite the early exception made for Andrew, the BetterUp CIO was still unable to wear his own uniform.
“He has come to terms with not wearing uniform on these occasions,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “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.”
However, days before the Saturday vigil, Buckingham Palace had a change of heart and allowed Harry to wear the uniform.
The long-reigning sovereign’s coffin has been lying in state at Westminster Hall since Wednesday, where it will remain until Monday, September 19. On Monday, members of the British troops and the royal family will walk the casket in a processional to Westminster Abbey for Elizabeth’s state funeral.
Scroll below to see more photos of Harry wearing his uniform at the grandchildren’s vigil:
