Prince Harry ‘heartbroken’ after being told he cannot wear ER initials on military uniform
The Duke of Sussex joined William and the Queen’s six other grandchildren to hold a vigil over her coffin - but there was a key detail missing.
Prince Harry was reportedly left “heartbroken” after the Queen’s “ER” initials were removed from his military uniform - while his disgraced uncle Prince Andrew was allowed to keep his.
The Duke of Sussex joined Prince William and the Queen’s six other grandchildren to hold a vigil over the Her Majesty’s coffin on Saturday night (Sunday morning AEST).
He was given extraordinary permission to wear his Blues and Royals uniform, including the medals he earned during two tours of Afghanistan.
But a key detail was missing — the ER insignia that stands for Elizabeth Regina (Queen Elizabeth in Latin).
Prince Andrew — who is also no longer a working royal — was not only allowed to wear his uniform but was also allowed to carry his mother’s initials during a vigil alongside the King, Princess Anne and Prince Edward the night before.
Harry was so “devastated” by the ban on wearing the ER initials on his shoulder that he considered ditching the military garb altogether for a simple morning suit, the Sunday Times reported.
The initials are only to be worn by people “in service” of the monarch.
A friend told the newspaper: “He is heartbroken. To remove his grandmother’s initials feels very intentional.”
Prince Andrew bore the initials on his Royal Navy vice admiral uniform.
The move could scupper any chances of his relationships with his father, the King, and William improving.
There had been a glimmer of hope that the feuding brothers would set their differences aside in the wake of their grandmother’s death at the age of 96.
They put on a united front outside Windsor Castle as they met wellwishers alongside their wives Kate Middleton — the new Princess of Wales — and Meghan Markle, who do not see eye-to-eye.
Harry was also reportedly uninvited from a state event happening later on Sunday, which will see Charles and senior royals host world leaders at Buckingham Palace.
The brothers did, however, spend a short time chatting with each other on Thursday after a chance encounter.
William was on the way back from collecting his children from school when he drove past Harry and Meghan on the Windsor estate, according to the Sunday Times. They are said to have stopped and chatted to each other briefly.
Kate also implicitly referred to Harry and Meghan while chatting to a member of the public while viewing floral tributes left at the royal estate at Sandringham, in Norfolk in the south east of England.
She said the Royal Family was “sticking together and sharing each other’s grief and helping each other cope”.
William told another mourner that walking behind the Queen’s coffin as was taken on a gun carriage from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where she is lying in state, had brought back memories of taking part in the procession behind his mother, Princess Diana, after her death in 1997.
“It brought back a few memories. It’s one of those moments when you think: I’ve prepared myself for this, but I’m not prepared.”
Prince Harry still reportedly intends to publish his memoir about life in the Royal Family later this year, with the Palace concerned of any bombshells akin to his and Meghan’s interview with Oprah last year.
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