Prince Harry Moves to Dispel Military Uniform Dispute: Focus on the Queen

Prince Harry has reconciled himself to not wearing a military uniform to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral as his spokesperson said: "We respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."

Harry served two tours on the front line in Afghanistan but was told by the palace that only working royals will be permitted to wear a uniform.

That will leave him and Prince Andrew in morning suits for the ceremony, at Westminster Abbey, on Monday, September 19.

Andrew though—despite his public disgrace—will get the chance to wear his uniform at one vigil, which is for the queen's children only, meaning Harry is not invited.

However, the Duke of Sussex moved to defuse any tension over the decision by calling, through his spokesperson, for the focus to return to his grandmother.

Harry and Meghan's spokesperson told Newsweek: "Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will wear a morning suit throughout events honoring 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."

Focus on what Harry would wear to the queen's state funeral on September 19th grew with the news that Andrew had been granted special permission to wear a uniform only for the lying-in-state vigil, which will include all four of the late monarch's children at Westminster Hall in London.

The controversial Andrew was stripped of all military patronages earlier this year amid a sexual assault lawsuit that also saw him retire from public life. The prince, despite maintaining his position of innocence, settled the lawsuit for an estimated sum in excess of $10 million in February. Prior to the queen's death, he made only one public appearance at the memorial service to Prince Philip, which was widely criticized.

Andrew served in the Falklands war as a helicopter pilot and as such is one of only two living members of the royal family to have served in active combat in wartime.

The other living senior member of the family to have served in a war is Harry.

The prince's first tour of active service was in Afghanistan in 2007 and was brought to a sudden halt after an international outlet broke a U.K. media embargo on revealing his presence on the front line in Helmand Province.

The British Ministry of Defense confirmed he had been doing the job he was trained for alongside his fellow soldiers in February 2008.

At the time, a Clarence House statement read: "Prince Harry is very proud to serve his country on operations alongside his fellow soldiers and to do the job he has been trained for."

However, Harry's second tour was more dramatic still, as he manned the guns on an Apache helicopter, providing air support to troops on the ground between September 2012 and January 2013.

Quoted by the BBC, he appeared to confirm rumors he had killed enemy Taliban fighters during operations during an interview at the end of the tour.

He said: "If there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we'll take them out of the game, I suppose. Take a life to save a life. The squadron's been out here. Everyone's fired a certain amount."

The prince retired from the army in 2015 and has since then maintained strong links with the services, including undertaking the role of Royal Marines captain-general. This valued association was lost in 2021 when Harry's military links were severed as part of his stepping down as a working royal and moving to the U.S.

Despite no longer being officially associated with the armed forces, the prince remains committed to championing ex-servicemen and women through the Invictus Games.

The games were founded in 2014 to showcase the mental and physical strength of sick and wounded former forces members. The 2023 games will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany next year with Harry scheduled to attend as founder and patron.

Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral is expected to be one of the largest gatherings of foreign royalty and heads of governments in Britain over the last century and will take place on Monday, September 19th.

The day has been declared a national holiday in the U.K. to allow members of the public to mark the event should they so wish.

Newsweek reached out to Buckingham Palace for confirmation of the uniform arrangements for the queen's state funeral.

Update 9/13/22 1:05 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.

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