Why Prince Harry was denied right to salute at Queen’s funeral

Prince Andrew also barred from wearing uniform for Queen’s funeral

The Duke of Sussex was barred from giving the salute at the state funeral of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II after he and his wife Meghan, stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020.

During the funeral procession, Prince Harry was photographed alongside other members of his family who were wearing military uniform.

As they performed a military salute, Harry was seen bowing his head, with his arms by his sides.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, stands next to King Charles III, Princess Anne, Princess Royal, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, as they salute for the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Among the royal family members walking behind the Queen’s coffin, Harry spent the greatest amount of time in the military, and is also the patron of a charity supporting the rehabilitation of sick or injured servicemen and women through sport.

Harry served in the army for 10 years, rose to the rank of Captain and served two tours in Afghanistan.

He was also stripped of his position as Captain General of the Royal Marines by the Queen, when he stepped down from royal duties.

He has only been allowed to wear military uniform during a vigil over the weekend at which he, his brother William, the Prince of Wales, and their cousins stood over the Queen’s coffin as it lay in state.

Prince Andrew besides King Charles and Princess Anne (AFP/Getty)

However, he was reportedly upset to find that Queen Elizabeth II’s “ER” initials had been removed from the shoulder of his uniform.

He wore his Blues and Royals uniform at King Charles III’s request for the first time since 2020 as he stood vigil around his grandmother’s coffin on Saturday night.

The duke’s uniform was missing the late monarch’s initials, which appeared on the shoulders of his brother the Prince of Wales’s uniform and also on that of the disgraced Duke of York’s uniform when he also donned a military uniform to stand vigil.

Prince Andrew was the only other member of the royal family to take part in the funeral procession and not wear military uniform.

Andrew was stripped of his honorary military affiliations earlier this year by the Queen, over his relationship with convicted sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was later named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit over sexual assault. He denied the allegations and settled the case out of court.