Princes Harry and William in 2018. Getty/Anwar Hussein The Palace reversed its decision and Prince Harry will wear military dress at a vigil for the Queen. The decision could be a sign of reconciliation between Harry and the royal family.
But the Firm may have also changed course because of public pressure. On Saturday evening, Queen Elizabeth’s eight grandchildren will honor her by standing vigil around her casket, which lies in state at Westminster Hall ahead of her funeral. The vigil will be similar to the Vigil of the Princes that took place on Monday, during which the Queen’s four children stood around her coffin at St Giles’ Cathedral.
Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Peter Philips, Lady Louise, and Viscount Severn will surround their grandmother’s casket for 15 minutes on Saturday, according to a tweet from Rebecca English, the Royals Editor for the Daily Mail. William and Harry will each stand at one end of the coffin. English also tweeted that the Queen’s grandchildren will wear morning coats and dark dress — aside from Prince William and Prince Harry, who will both be wearing military uniform per the request of King Charles III.
Prince Harry wasn’t originally going to wear his military attireThe news that Harry will be dressed in military attire is a drastic change, as a representative for the duke said in a statement to Insider earlier in the week that “Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex 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,” the spokesperson went on to say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2018.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty ImagesOn Monday, The Telegraph reported that only working members of the royal family would be permitted to wear military attire to the Queen’s funeral events, but said an exception had been made for Prince Andrew who will get to wear military dress at a final vigil held at Westminster Hall depite being stripped of his military titles earlier this year. Prince Harry has not been a working royal since 2020, when he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped back from the royal family. After they stepped back, Harry was stripped of his royal title and military patronages.
The duke served in the British military for 10 years and did two tours in Afghanistan. The change could be a sign of reconciliation between the duke and the royal familyThe news that Harry will wear his military attire to stand vigil for his grandmother could be the latest sign that the Queen’s death has helped to reunite Harry and Meghan with the royal family. The Sussexes relationship with Harry’s family has been tense since they stepped back as senior royals, and their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey only increased the strain between them.
In the interview, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said members of the royal family made racist remarks about Archie, disregarded Meghan’s mental health and well-being, Kate Middleton made Meghan cry during the week of her wedding, and Charles cut the couple off financially following their step back. A year after the interview, Insider’s Mikhaila Friel and Anneta Konstantinides reported that their relationship with the royal family appeared to be worse than ever, although the duke and duchess attended the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June. However, since the Queen’s death, it seems the royal family might truly be trying to make amends with Harry and Meghan.
Prince William, Princess Kate, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle on a walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022. Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty ImagesIn his first address as monarch, King Charles III sent love to Harry and Markle, and on Saturday, September 10, Prince William invited his brother and sister-in-law to join him and Kate for a walkabout at Windsor Castle to greet well-wishers. The “fab four” had not appeared publicly together in years.
Harry and William also walked side by side as they processed behind their grandmother’s coffin, sending the message that they are seemingly a united front. Letting Harry wear his military uniform could indicate that King Charles and the rest of the royal family want to turn over a new leaf with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in light of the Queen’s death. But it’s possible the monarchy could also be succumbing to public pressure.
The public didn’t react well to photos of Prince Harry in a morning coat next to his military-clad familyPrince Harry wore a morning suit to process behind the Queen’s coffin alongside his father, brother, aunt, and uncles as it made its way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. As photos of the procession were shared around the world, “King Harry” started trending on Twitter, with people lamenting that Harry could not pay tribute to his grandmother in his uniform, particularly because of his previous military service. At the same time, the monarchy was reportedly making an exception to its rule that only working senior royals could wear military attire for Prince Andrew.
A processional of royals walks behind Queen Elizabeth’s casket on September 14, 2022. WPA Pool / Pool / Getty ImagesPrince Andrew was stripped of his titles and patronages in January 2022 amid Virginia Guiffre’s lawsuit against him, in which she alleged Jeffrey Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew when she was 17. A heckler disrupted a processional for the Queen to yell at Andrew that he was a “sick old man.
” Andrew has worn a morning suit at all events following his mother’s death to date, but The Telegraph reported that the Duke of York will be allowed to wear military dress for a final vigil for his mother at Westminster Hall. Bending the rules for a man accused of sexual assault and not for the king’s son who stepped away from royal life for the sake of his family drew criticism from royal watchers, who said it may not reflect well on a royal family attempting to distinguish itself from the monarchy’s history of racism and colonialism. Not allowing Harry to wear his military attire also proved to be a distraction from the Queen’s death given the public outcry.
Permitting Prince Harry to stand vigil in his uniform may turn the attention back on the late monarch, which is where the royal family ultimately wants it. Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/prince-harry-wearing-military-uniform-queen-vigil-could-signal-reconciliation-2022-9
