Prince Harry is reportedly "heartbroken" and "devastated" after the Queen's 'ER' initials were removed from the shoulder of his military uniform as he held vigil by his grandmother's coffin although his uncle Prince Andrew was allowed to keep the cipher. According to reports, the Duke of Sussex even considered wearing a morning suit to avoid embarrassment.
However, he later decided to wear the uniform to avoid embarrassment for the Royal family as he stood guard with Her Majesty's seven other grandchildren. The Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex, both in uniform, stood around the coffin of their late grandmother at Westminster Hall on Saturday afternoon.
More Humiliation
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn, cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, and the two brothers were present. However, Prince Harry's uniform was a shade different from what his brother and other cousins wore. Photos clearly show the Queen's 'ER' initials missing from Harry's left shoulder.
It was later revealed that the initials were removed, a decision that reportedly has left Harry devastated at this time of mourning.
As a sign of respect, the Duke of Sussex was given permission to don his military uniform for the first time since the Queen's death during her vigil. He wore a morning suit for other occasions since he is no longer a working royal although saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
King Charles gave Harry permission to wear the livery for the vigil held inside the Palace of Westminster. The Sunday Times reported that the Duke of Sussex is believed to have been distraught to see that his grandmother's initials had been removed from the shoulder of his uniform. The royal uniform of Prince William still bears the initials.
"He is heartbroken. To remove his grandmother's initials feels very intentional," a source told The Sunday Times.
Prince Andrew, who is also no longer a working royal, is believed to be the focus of Harry's anguish. Prince Andrew kept the initials on his vice-admiral uniform when the Queen's children held a vigil on Friday night.
The cipher was previously worn by the Duke of Sussex because he served as the Queen's Personal Aide de Camp. However, it was one of the posts he gave up when he left his position as king and relocated to California.
Difficult to Digest for Harry
The omission of the cipher is believed to be due to dress codes rather than a direct snub of the prince because the letters "ER" are typically only worn by people "in service" of the king. However, the decision didn't go down well with Harry.
In fact, Harry reportedly considered wearing a morning suit to escape the humiliation of having the 'ER' removed from his uniform's shoulder.
A body language specialist claimed that Prince Harry and his brother William showed "high tension" at the vigil when the news broke.
However, the scene was poignant at Westminster Hall when the two brothers stood vigil to the Queen. The scene drew comparisons to walking behind the coffin of their mother Princess Diana at her funeral in 1997.
That came after William and Harry, along with their respective wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, presented an unexpectedly united front on Saturday when out and about near Windsor Castle.
However, sources close to the brothers are believed to have stated that "no meaningful rapprochement" has taken place as of yet. As they received the Queen's coffin at Buckingham Palace this week, they joined other royals for dinner there.
Nevertheless, despite the two brothers' close proximity to one another's Windsor homes, their communication is still primarily conducted through assistants rather than face-to-face.
