That Queen Elizabeth’s funeral was so intricately planned decades in advance that it would run like clockwork has long been a cliché of British establishment life. The London Bridge operation, as the master plan was always known, began to be sketched out from the early days of its reign in the 1950s. But on Thursday evening, less than four days before the most important state occasion Britain has seen in living memory, with the largest gathering of foreign heads of state the world has ever known to take place on British soil, the plans came to a screeching halt. dress prank as it appeared Prince Harry had prevailed in a heated argument over whether or not he should wear his military uniform during at least some of the ceremonies. The Daily Mirror’s respected royal correspondent Russell Myers reported that Harry will now be allowed to wear his Blues and Royals uniform at a special vigil for the Queen on Saturday. Myers quoted a “royal source” who said: “Common sense has prevailed. It was a ridiculous situation, given that the Duke of Sussex served his country and is a highly respected member of the armed forces for what he has done for veterans.” Prince Harry (L), Duke of Sussex, and Britain’s Prince William (R), Prince of Wales, react as the coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the Palace of Westminster, following a procession from Buckingham Palace , in London on September 14, 2022.
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It will be interesting to see how Harry plays this victory over the establishment. But one suspects he is somewhat Pyrrhic and will do little to assuage his irritation and anger at what he sees as institutionalized palace cruelty which, as recently as Wednesday, effectively sought to diminish him and advertise his pariah status, don’t he allowed it. to wear military uniform or offer a royal salute to the Queen as she is processed behind her coffin in London. For their part, the royals remain nervous about the content of Harry’s memoir, whether decorum means its publication has been delayed or not. The family feud continues, no matter how many carefully choreographed royal appearances raise hopes of a reconciliation between Harry and Prince William. Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted inside the Palace of Westminster during Queen Elizabeth II’s lay-by on September 14.
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“Nothing has really changed,” a family friend of the royals tells The Daily Beast in response to an inquiry into the true state of relations between Prince Harry and his brother and the rest of his family of origin. another. “The expectation is that once the mourning period is over, Harry and Meghan will return to California, he will publish his book, and the family here will be left to pick up the pieces.” Another source told The Daily Beast that there was still “intense” concern among the royal family about Harry’s book containing extremely damaging revelations about his father. The source added that while the palace believes it can fend off attacks by Meghan, who is largely discredited in the UK media who have attacked a series of inaccuracies in her various interviews – which many of her supporters have downplayed this victim of the media in racism- His son’s attack on King Charles would have an entirely different level of credibility. It would be the ultimate demolition from the inside. The palace has, in the past, tried to portray Harry’s ban on uniform as a practical, legal matter. For those uninformed about the arcane of British dress codes, legally in the UK only active members of the military are allowed to wear a uniform. When Harry left the royal family, he was forced to give up his honorary military roles. It is these roles that technically grant membership of the armed services to other royals. Edward, for example, may have left training after four months for a career in the theatre, but he is commander-in-chief of the Royal Navy. There was general consternation when it emerged that Prince Andrew, he of the sex-affair settlement, could wear his uniform (the vice-admiral, in case you were wondering) to a vigil for the Queen on Saturday. The palace said this was as a “special mark of respect to the Queen”. Questions about why Harry wouldn’t be allowed to pay a similar deference, especially since he hadn’t paid millions of dollars to a woman who accused him of raping her, naturally arose—at least, one assumes, to Harry himself, who was forced to issued a statement which said, rather tellingly: “Prince Harry will wear a morning suit to all events in honor of his grandmother. His decade of military service is not defined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that the focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.” Now, however, after public disbelief (and, presumably, private lobbying by Harry and his supporters) comes that most unusual of things – a political upheaval. It turns out that it is within the monarch’s gift to change the rules about army uniforms and who can wear them. As the head of the military, not to mention the state, this is not a huge surprise. First came the taped pen tantrums, then the sacking of 100 staff while the Queen’s body was almost out cold. Now the chaotic release of the funerary dress code represents another major blow to King Charles’ efforts to portray himself as a safe pair of hands. There is, of course, the possibility that Harry will have to delay the publication of his book, mainly to acknowledge the Queen’s death, but no one expects it to be canceled based on King Charles’ remark: “I also want to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives abroad’—or this chaotic reversal to allow him to wear a uniform. Prince William and Prince Harry walk behind the coffin during the procession for Queen Elizabeth II in state on September 14.
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The feud won’t be undone so easily. The royals are no doubt delighted that the news has been flooded with stories of reconciliation. But take a step back and ask what really happened? Well, an admittedly uncharitable way of looking at it is that Harry and William managed to breathe the same air on two very carefully curated occasions. “You could cut the atmosphere with a knife, but luckily neither brother was armed.” But the temperature in Windsor on Saturday when the two brothers turned up with their wives for an impromptu walk was well below freezing. They couldn’t even bring each other to look each other in the eye, let alone put a brotherly arm around each other’s shoulder. You could cut through the atmosphere with a knife, but luckily neither brother was armed. The tenderness with which William claimed the title of peacemaker after the appearance is likely to have annoyed Harry. Sources from William’s camp told reporters that the joint appearance was William’s initiative even as the engagement took place. Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet members of the public on the Grand Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022, in Windsor, England.
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On Wednesday, as the two brothers processed behind the Queen’s coffin, they were side by side but a world apart. Harry did his duty admirably. He showed no emotion, other than sadness at the Queen’s death, when she batted his eyes while standing behind William in Westminster Hall. If the story about Harry’s suit reversal is confirmed, and the palace has not responded to The Daily Beast’s request for comment, there will be huge pressure on Harry to be allowed to wear his suit at the funeral as well. The problem the palace now faces if it tries to maintain the ban on Harry wearing a uniform to the funeral on Monday is obvious. Charles’ own actions would have given the lie to the argument that, unfortunately, it is not constitutionally possible. The tantalizing prospect of Harry wearing an outfit to the funeral itself would be a huge victory for him – and an utter humiliation for his father, the new king, entirely of his own making.
