Palace Has a Change of Heart Regarding Prince Harry's Military Uniform at Queen's Vigil
There has been a change of heart regarding Prince Harry wearing his military uniform at the Queen's Vigil. According to Entertainment Tonight, Palace officials informed Harry he is allowed to wear his Military uniform at the Vigil for Queen Elizabeth on Saturday at Westminster Hall. Harry couldn't wear the uniform for the Service for the Reception of Her Majesty's Coffin.
A source told Entertainment Tonight "it was a decision made without Prince Harry requesting a change." It's not clear if Harry will wear the uniform at the state funeral on Monday. Harry, Prince William, and six of Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren are set to stand Saturday for a 15-minute moment of silence alongside the late queen's coffin.
Harry was not permitted to wear his military uniform after Elizabeth's coffin was taken from Buckingham Palace for a procession through the streets of London. He wasn't allowed to salute the coffin either. "Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, will wear a mourning suit throughout events honoring his grandmother," a spokesperson for Prince Harry said in a statement. "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 Queen Elizabeth died earlier this month, Harry and his wife Megan Markle released a statement. In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen—and in mourning her loss—we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty," the statement read. "She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy. Let us echo the words she spoke after the passing of her husband, Prince Philip, words which can bring comfort to all of us now: "Life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings."
Queen Elizabeth was Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 sovereign states at the time of her death on Sept. 8. Her reign began in February 1952 making her reign the longest of any British Monarch and the second-longest verified reign of any monarch in history. Her eldest son, King Charles III, takes over as King of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth Realms.