While both Harry, 38, and his brother Prince William, 40, wore the Blues and Royals No.1 kit “at the request of the King”, the kit Harry received from Buckingham Palace did not a crucial piece of material: the late queen’s outfit. royal cypher, the initials ‘ER’. William’s uniform, eagle-eyed royal watchers noted, bore the cypher on both shoulder epaulettes. Harry didn’t. “He is heartbroken,” a friend told the Sunday Times of London. “His removal of his grandmother’s initials is very appropriate.” He was so “devastated”, the friend said, that the prince almost wore a morning suit to avoid “humiliation”. An insider disputed the account, denying that an alternate outfit was ever under consideration – but admitted that the ‘ER’ code had indeed been removed from Harry’s outfit. The prince, who stepped down from his royal duties in 2020 and was stripped of his honorary military titles, was initially banned from wearing his military uniform. The California-based king, a decorated military veteran who served in Afghanistan, wore a morning suit when he walked behind the queen’s coffin during a procession earlier this week. The grandchildren stood for 15 minutes of silence in honor of the Queen. POOL/AFP via Getty Images Harry was first seen in uniform arriving at the vigil. Reuters A spokesman for the Sussexes declined to comment. The Duke of Sussex took part in a 15-minute guard of honor alongside his brother and the Queen’s six other grandchildren on Saturday night. He was first spotted wearing the outfit in the car on his way to the service and was then caught standing near his grandmother’s coffin. Princess Anne’s children Peter Phillips, 44, Zara Tindall, 41, Prince Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice, 34, Princess Eugenie, 32 and Prince Edward’s children Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14, was also with the sister. The Duke was not allowed to wear his military uniform earlier this week.Getty Images It was reported on Friday that King Charles III had overturned the order and given permission for his son and disgraced brother Prince Andrew to both wear their military uniforms during vigils for Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall. Andrew was forced out of public life following a devastating BBC interview in 2019 in which he defended his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his disturbing lack of empathy for Epstein’s victims. A source told Harry’s Daily Mirror, however, that it was a “ridiculous situation” given the Prince’s impressive military record. He served 10 years in the military, which included two active duty tours in Afghanistan and established the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured and ill servicemen and women, both active duty and veterans. Page Six exclusively reported Thursday that Prince Harry did not request the change. “He was just ready to wear whatever his grandmother designed. He has focused on honoring her and finally. If they wanted him in uniform, I have no reason to believe he wouldn’t oblige,” our source said. It is unclear whether Harry will be allowed to wear his military uniform to the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
