After Buckingham Palace announced Prince Harry would not be permitted to wear his military uniform at Queen Elizabeth‘s funeral or vigil, many people felt outraged on his behalf. After all, he’s a veteran who served 10 years in the British army, including two tours in Afghanistan.
And then there was the news that an exception was being made for Prince Andrew, who will be allowed to wear his uniform to the Queen’s vigil “as a special mark of respect” for Her Majesty, even though he was forced to resign from his royal duties after being tied with Jeffrey Epstein and accused of raping a minor in 2015.
While the public is upset about the same exception not being extended to Harry, an actual war hero, Harry is urging people to focus on honoring his late grandmother with a noble statement that read:
“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.”
Despite his status as a war veteran, Prince Harry won't be allowed to wear his military uniform to Queen Elizabeth's funeral. https://t.co/OfKWehBmLA
— SheKnows (@SheKnows) September 13, 2022
When the Sussexes stepped down from their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020, they were stripped of all titles, including three of Harry’s military appointments. The palace stated that “only working members of Royal Family will wear military uniform” to public events honoring the Queen’s passing, which was sound reasoning for Harry not being included — until the exception for Andrew was made.
In Finding Freedom:Harry and Meghan and the Making of the Modern Royal Family, co-authors and royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand peeled back the curtain on just how difficult it was for Harry to relinquish his honorary military appointments. A source close to the Sussexes shared, “That’s been a tough pill to swallow, and one that has been the most painful for Meghan to witness him go through. It’s the one that made Harry emotional.”
A friend of Meghan’s reportedly shared the Duchess said, “It was so unnecessary. And it’s not just taking something away from him; it’s also the entire military veteran community. You can see how much he means to them, too. So why? The powers [of the institution] are unfortunately greater than me.”
During his time in the army, Prince Harry rose to the rank of captain and fired on the Taliban from an Apache helicopter. Since retiring from the service, he’s continued to do work in the veteran community, founding the Invictus Games, an annual athletic competition for wounded servicemen and women.
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