When Prince Harry was granted permission to wear his military uniform to a special vigil for the Queen on Saturday night – after previously being banned from wearing it to any events leading up to and including his grandmother’s funeral due to no longer being a working royal – it was considered a great gesture from his father, i.e., the new King.
However, the Duke of Sussex, who turned 38 on September 15th, wasn’t expecting the Queen’s initials to be stripped from his military uniform, which reports have now said came as a huge blow to him. “He is heartbroken,” an insider told The Sunday Times. “To remove his grandmother’s initials feels very intentional.”
Prince Harry at the Queen’s grandchildren’s Vigil at Westminster Hall pic.twitter.com/V3lmWCzkEW
— best of meghan markle (@princessmeghn) September 17, 2022
Although Prince Harry wore a morning suit to the Queen’s funeral on Monday, September 19th (pictured below) the palace made an exception for a special vigil on Saturday, September 17th, which involved his brother Prince William and his six cousins, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Lady Louise, Peter Phillips, and James, Viscount Severn holding a silent 15-minute vigil at Westminster Hall.
“It is important that the Queen’s grandchildren are all made to feel welcome and comfortable as they grieve their beloved grandmother together,” a royal source said.
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Prince William wore the Blues and Royals, No.1 Uniform, The Garter Sash, The Garter Star, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and RAF Pilot Wings, while Prince Harry wore the Blues and Royals, No.1 Uniform, KCVO Neck Order and Star, Afghanistan Operational Service Medal, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and Army Pilot Wings. But according to The Sunday Times, there was a small but significant difference between his and his brother's uniform, as the Queen’s 'ER' initials were removed from the shoulder of the Duke of Sussex’s uniform. Ouch!
The shocking move from Buckingham Palace is reportedly due to him being stripped of his honorary military titles after he and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals in January 2020, as the 'ER' initials are traditionally only worn by those who are "in service" of the monarch, which he technically now isn’t.
However, Prince Harry is said to be even more humiliated by the palace's decision to remove the initials, as his uncle Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal patronages and military affiliations earlier this year as a result of the sexual assault allegations made against him by Virginia Giuffre, still had the initials on his vice-admiral’s uniform that he was allowed to wear as a kind gesture from King Charles III during the vigil held by all four of the Queen's children on Friday, September 16th.
Some reports have suggested that Prince Andrew's initials weren’t removed from his uniform because the Queen allowed him to keep his honorary title of Vice Admiral (which is the equivalent to an Army Lieutenant General) after she stripped him of all of his other royal patronages and military affiliations.
