Prince Harry 'heartbroken' as tribute to Queen removed from his uniform but not William's
07.09.2023 - 19:17
/ ok.co.uk
Prince Harry was left 'heartbroken' after the 'ER' symbol was removed from his military uniform - but not his brother Prince William's - as they stood vigil beside the late Queen Elizabeth's coffin last year. After the Queen passed away on 8 September 2022, aged 96, a mourning period followed, including three days of the Queen Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall as more than 250,000 members of the public visited to pay their respects.
During the three days, the Queen's children and then her grandchildren, including Prince Harry, Prince William, Zara Tindall, Peter Philips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, along with Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn, held a vigil beside her coffin as people filed past. Despite leaving the Royal Family as an official working member with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020, Harry was given special permission by King Charles III to wear his military uniform to perform the duty.
However, the 'ER' (Elizabeth Regina) symbol was removed from Harry's uniform, but not from that of his brother, Prince William, who is first in line to the British Throne. The reason for this is that, traditionally, only members of the Royal Family who are 'in service' of the monarch are able to wear the symbol, but Harry was said to have been 'heartbroken' by the decision.
At the time, a source told the Sunday Times: "He [Harry] is heartbroken.
To remove his grandmother’s initials feels very intentional." It had been reported that Harry was to forgo a uniform entirely and wear a morning suit, however, he donned his uniform of the Blues and Royals complete with Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals, Army Pilot Wings and the Afghanistan Operational Service Medal for the vigil. The report in The Sunday
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