Senior members of the royal family will reportedly done sombre black suits, instead of military uniforms, when they farewell Prince Philip on Saturday.
The wardrobe code is a departure from the family’s usual garb for state occasions, and is an apparent concession to the Duke of Edinburgh’s second son, Prince Andrew, and grandson Prince Harry.
Harry, who served in the British Army for a decade, was stripped of his honorary military titles when he and wife Meghan Markle stepped away from their royal duties more than a year ago.
They were Captain General of the Royal Marines (which he took over from Prince Philip), Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command.
There have also been reports in Britain this week that the Duke of York, who has spoken of his father as being “the grandfather of the nation”, wanted to wear an admiral’s uniform to Philip’s funeral.
Prince Andrew was forced to quit royal duties following a disastrous TV interview in 2019 over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He was due to be promoted to admiral in 2020 on his 60th birthday but this did not go ahead following the fallout from the interview.
Heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, his eldest son Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward were all expected to wear military uniforms to the service at Windsor Castle on Saturday (British time).
Faced with the dilemma of Andrew – reportedly her favourite son – and prodigal grandson Harry standing out from the family, the Queen has now ruled that none of the family will wear a uniform.
A military source told Britain’s The Sun that it was “the most eloquent solution to the problem”.
However, Britain’s ITV reports the decision – a break with tradition for ceremonial royal funerals – will contrast with the strong military presence that will be on show to honour Philip, who served with distinction in World War II.
Thursday’s decision came as the royal family shared never-before-seen personal photos of Prince Philip to their official social media accounts.
They include a picture of the Queen and Prince Philip with their great-grandchildren, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge in 2015.
Three more great-grandchildren have been added to the brood since then – Harry’s and Meghan’s son Archie, Princess Eugenie’s son August, and Zara and Mike Tindall’s new son Lucas. A third, a daughter for the Los Angeles-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is also due within months.
Princess Eugenie added her own tribute to her grandfather this week, posting photos to her Instagram account with a personal note.
“I will remember you in your children, your grandchildren and great grandchildren,” she wrote.
“Thank you for your dedication and love for us all and especially Granny, who we will look after for you.”
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