Members of the British royal family will now not wear military uniform at Prince Philip’s funeral.
It is understood the Queen has decided that senior royals attending the service should be in civilian clothing.
The move means Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will not have to face being one of the only close family members who is not in uniform at Saturday’s service.
Harry lost his honorary military titles after deciding to step down as a senior working royal.
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh surrounded by seven of their great-grandchildren at Balmoral Castle in 2018.
©️ The Duchess of Cambridge pic.twitter.com/xMmbzfDHwLAdvertisement— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 14, 2021
Reports had also suggested that Andrew, the Duke of York, who spoke of his father as being “the grandfather of the nation,” was considering wearing an admiral’s uniform.
Andrew stepped down from royal duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019.
He was due to be promoted to Admiral in 2020 to mark his 60th birthday but this did not go ahead following the fallout from his disastrous Newsnight appearance.
The no-uniform rule has been described as “the most eloquent solution to the problem,” a military source told The Sun.
Break with tradition
The decision is a break with tradition for ceremonial royal funerals and will contrast with the strong military presence which will be on show to honour Philip, who served with distinction in the Second World War.
Protocol suggests that Harry, who did two tours of Afghanistan, can only wear a suit with medals at royal functions.
As plans were finalised for the funeral, the royal family released a photo of the Queen and the duke surrounded by their great-grandchildren.
The previously unseen image shows the Queen and the duke sitting with the children on a sofa during a family get-together.
The Duchess of Cambridge captured the moment on her camera in 2018 when the Queen and Philip’s seven great-grandchildren were at Balmoral.
A number of other images showing the duke with members of the royal family – including his son the Prince of Wales – were posted on official royal Twitter accounts.
The Queen has continued to work following her husband's death, carrying out an official engagement on Wednesday to formally welcome the new Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official of the royal household, to his post.
She hosted a ceremony at Windsor Castle for Baron Parker who will oversee Philip’s funeral as part of his role.
The image of the Queen and the duke with the young members of the family is a snapshot of a typical day at her private Scottish home where she entertains family, friends and politicians during the summer.
Cradled in the arms of the Queen is Prince Louis, a rare image of the monarch holding one of her great-grandchildren.
The full line-up of royal children includes the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children Prince George and Princess Charlotte either side of the Queen who holds their brother Louis.
Peter Phillips’ daughters Savannah and Isla are close to their great-grandfather and at the other end of the sofa are Zara and Mike Tindall’s children Lena, held by her cousin Isla, and his daughter Mia.
A black and white picture posted on Charles and Camilla’s official Twitter account, taken in 1966, shows Philip and Charles sitting on polo ponies with mallets and helmets in hand during a match.
Remembering The Duke of Edinburgh as a much-loved Father and Father-in-Law.
Members of The Royal Family are today sharing their memories of The Duke - see more on @RoyalFamily. pic.twitter.com/7lIGjhhYtQ— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) April 14, 2021
The image was posted alongside a more modern image of the duke with his son and the duchess in the moments after William and Kate’s Westminster Abbey wedding.
William and Kate also shared memories of Philip and the Queen, posting an image taken at Balmoral in 2015 on their official Twitter account showing the couple with their children George and Charlotte.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Queen’s granddaughter Princess Eugenie paid a heartfelt tribute to her “dearest Grandpa”, pledging to look after “Granny” the Queen for him.
