Will the death of Elizabeth II bring William and Harry closer?
2:25
(CNN) --
Prince Harry and Prince Andrew may be the only living members of Queen Elizabeth II's immediate family to have served in the military during wartime, but strict royal protocol mandates that they do not wear the uniform. during the funeral of the monarch.
Buckingham Palace established that only active members of the royal family will wear military uniform in the great ceremonial acts that will take place during the period of mourning for the queen.
Since both Harry and Andrew have stepped away from their royal duties, they will be wearing civilian clothes, despite being retired service members.
Unlike in the US, where veterans often wear the uniform on special occasions, retired British servicemen cannot wear the uniform unless they have an honorary appointment and have been authorized to wear it.
Instead, they wear their military medals on their civilian clothes.
What do the symbolisms mean in the tributes to Queen Elizabeth II?
The response of a specialist
King Charles III, his sister Princess Anne and his younger brother Prince Edward all wore uniforms at the service of commemoration at Edinburgh's St Giles' Cathedral on Monday and during Wednesday's procession to Westminster Hall.
It is also expected to be worn at the other big events marking the queen's death, including a vigil at Westminster Hall, the state funeral on Monday and the burial service at Windsor's St. George's Chapel later that day. .
Prince William, now heir to the throne, is also expected to wear a military uniform.
Prince Andrew will wear the uniform in one of the acts.
According to the palace, he will wear a uniform during the vigil at Westminster Hall as a special mark of respect to the queen.
advertising
Prince Harry will wear a tailored suit at all events in honor of his grandmother, a Sussex spokesman said on Tuesday.
"Your decade of military service is not determined by the uniform you wear and we respectfully ask that the focus be on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," the spokesperson added.
Peter Phillips, Princess Anne's son, was also not in uniform during Wednesday's procession.
He is not a working royal and has not served in the military.
serve in war
The debate over who can or cannot wear a uniform at big royal events first arose last year during preparations for the funeral of Prince Philip, the queen's husband of 73 years, when some British media reported that Prince Andrew he wanted to wear an admiral's uniform.
Breaking tradition, no member of the family ended up wearing military uniform for the funeral, thus avoiding possible awkwardness.
Princes William and Harry follow the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during Wednesday's procession.
Credit: Martin Meissner/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Prince Harry wore a uniform during his 2018 wedding. Prince Andrew was seen in his military outfit during the 2018 Trooping of Color ceremony.
More than a year later, the discussion remains a sensitive topic, especially as Harry and Andrew are the only relatives of the queen to have fought in a war.
Prince Andrew, the queen's second son, served in the Royal Navy for 22 years as a helicopter pilot and instructor and later as commander of the warship HMS Cottesmore.
He participated in the Falklands War.
Although he left active duty in the Navy in July 2001, he continued to wear the uniform during ceremonial acts as an active duty royal due to his honorary titles.
But in 2019 he stepped back from his royal duties over his links to disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Earlier this year, he was stripped of his military and charitable titles after a judge ruled that a civil sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre against him could proceed.
Subsequently, Andrés reached an agreement on the lawsuit.
For his part, Prince Harry served in the British Army for 10 years.
He completed two tours in Afghanistan, achieving the rank of captain in 2011 and qualifying as an Apache aircraft commander.
Captain Harry Wales, as he was known in the Army, retired in 2015.
As a working royal, he also continued to wear his uniform when attending royal ceremonies, such as when he donned the uniform of the Royal and Blue House Cavalry for his 2018 wedding. He stopped wearing the uniform after depart from his royal duties in 2020.
Although King Charles III served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for six years, he never saw active warfare.
Prince William served for more than seven years as a search and rescue pilot.
Princess Anne and Prince Edward never served in the military, but both have honorary titles.
Queen isabel II