Royal Expert Points Out What Was Missing From Prince Harry's Military Uniform

For Queen Elizabeth's funeral – which a record breaking number of people watched – many members of the royal family were wearing military dress. There were two notable exceptions. One was Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who was stripped of his military titles and HRH status after news broke that he was accused of sexual assault, according to the BBC. The other was Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, who, along with his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, famously stepped back from being working royals in 2020.

The two were allowed to wear the military uniforms when they stood vigil at the queen's coffin as it was lying in state in Westminster Hall. Queen Elizabeth's four children stood vigil on Friday, while Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren did so on Saturday. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex was in military uniform, as was his brother Prince William, the Prince of Wales, and it allegedly came about upon the request of King Charles III, according to Cosmopolitan. But Prince Harry's uniform didn't include the "EIIR" symbol on the shoulder patch the way his brother's did; "EIIR" stands for Elizabeth Regina, per People.

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"I thought it wasn't necessary to strip Harry of his EIIR — it doesn't look good, whatever the rights and wrongs of protocols," royal biographer Penny Junor told People. "That was the only disappointment."

For his part, a friend of Prince Harry's told The Sunday Times that Prince Harry was said to be "heartbroken" over the uniform update as it seemed like a "very intentional" slight.