'Common sense has prevailed': Harry and Andrew win battle to wear military uniforms for Westminster Hall vigils
16 September 2022, 02:16 | Updated: 16 September 2022, 12:27
Prince Harry and Andrew have won the fight to wear their military uniforms for special vigils set to take place in honour of the Queen at Westminster Hall.
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Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, had been denied the chance to wear his military uniform as he publicly mourned due to him no longer being a working royal.
Despite being a former Army officer, he has been in civilian dress for official events, including walking behind his grandmother's coffin on Wednesday when it was carried to Westminster Hall to lie in state.
But Palace officials are now believed to have had a change of heart, with a source saying "common sense has prevailed", according to the Daily Mirror.
"It was a ludicrous situation given the Duke of Sussex has served his country and is a highly respected member of the armed forces with everything he has done for veterans," they told the paper.
"It is important that the Queen's grandchildren are all made to feel welcome and comfortable as they grieve their beloved grandmother together."
The Queen's grandchildren - also including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara and Peter Philips and Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn - are expected to honour her memory by holding a vigil at her coffin on Saturday.
It will follow the final Vigil of the Princes on Friday evening, which will see the Queen's four children - King Charles, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex - surround their mother's coffin for the 15-minute ceremony.
King Charles, William, Harry, Anne, Edward, Philip walk behind Queen Elizabeth's coffin
An exception has also been made for the disgraced Duke of York, who is no longer a working royal but will wear his uniform as a "special mark of respect" for the Queen when he stands guard around her coffin on Friday evening.
He was banned from wearing his uniform following sexual assault allegations which he denies.
It is understood that a row erupted following the reports that Prince Andrew would be allowed to wear his military colours for the ceremony.
On Tuesday, Prince Harry hit back at the rule 'banning' him from wearing his uniform, with a spokesperson saying: "Prince Harry will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother.
"His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."
The day before, he wrote of his special memories of the Queen attending his passing-out parade in 2006 when he became an officer in the British Army.
He told of his "first meeting" with his grandmother as "my Commander-in-Chief", and is believed to have been referring to the occasion when she made him grin and blush when she reviewed the cadets.
