The military veteran will be wearing a suit to all events surrounding his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's death.
Prince Harry does not want the focus to be on him amid his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's upcoming funeral and the proceeding events. It was announced on Monday that Harry, a military veteran, would not be permitted to wear his official uniform to any of the public events surrounding the queen's death.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex released a statement to ET addressing the situation.
“Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother," the statement read. "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.”
As was previously reported, the 37-year-old son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana will not be permitted to wear his uniform for any of the official events surrounding the queen's death, including the vigil at Westminster Abbey.
After stepping down as a senior member of the royal family in 2020, Harry was forced to relinquish his honorary military appointments. Similarly, his uncle, Prince Andrew, was also stripped of his military affiliations in January 2022 amid his ongoing lawsuit regarding his alleged sexual misconduct and involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. But multiple outlets report that while Andrew will not be permitted to wear his uniform to several events, he will be permitted to wear it at the vigil at Westminster as a sign of respect to the queen.
This news came after Harry referred to his grandmother as his "Commander-in-Chief" in a touching tribute.
In the 2020 book, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of the Modern Royal Family, royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that the loss of his honorary military appointments was the hardest part of stepping down as a working royal for Harry.
“That’s been a tough pill to swallow, and one that has been the most painful for [his wife] Meghan [Markle] to witness him go through,” a source close to the couple said in the book. “It’s the one that made Harry emotional.”
Harry is later quoted in the book talking to a major at an event, saying, “I am devastated that I am having to step down."
“It was so unnecessary,” Meghan reportedly told a friend of the decision to strip Harry of his military titles. “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.”
As a retired serviceman, Harry served in the Army for 10 years, rising to the rank of captain and undertaking two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Harry's dedication to the armed forces has been clear in much of his professional work. His most noteworthy achievement for the veteran community is the creation of the Invictus Games, an athletic competition for wounded servicemen and women.
For updates on Queen Elizabeth's death, visit ET's ongoing coverage here.
RELATED CONTENT:
