Today the world will fall silent for Queen Elizabeth II. The late monarch's funeral will begin at 11am at Westminster Abbey.
King Charles III and other members of the royal family walk behind the Queen’s coffin before and after the funeral service at Westminster Abbey. The King will walk with Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward just behind him. They will be followed by the Queen’s grandsons, Peter Phillips, Prince William and Prince Harry. Next in the procession will be the late Queen’s son-in-law, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester, her cousin, and her nephew, the Earl of Snowdon.
Are Prince Harry and Prince Andrew allowed to wear their Military Uniform to the Queen's funeral?
The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of York will not be permitted to wear their military uniform to the funeral today.
There was previous controversy surrounding the military uniform last week. Prince Harry was originally banned from wearing his military uniform to the Queen’s Vigil at the lying in state. However, Prince Andrew – who was disgraced for accusations of sexual assault against him and his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, was permitted to wear his.
The Duke Of Sussex, who completed two tours of front line duty in Afghanistan, was previously told he could only wear ‘civilian dress’ for all of the official events that mourn the Queen—including her funeral at Westminster Abbey today. This prompted public outrage and after a U-turn decision by the Palace, and with King Charles' permission, he was allowed to sport his military uniform alongside his cousins and brother.
However, it has been reported that Harry was 'heartbroken' after Queen's 'ER' initials were stripped from the shoulders of his military uniform he wore to the vigil. The 'ER' initials are traditionally only worn by those 'in service' of the monarch, and so the absence of the cypher is thought to be down to dress regulations.
The Duke of Sussex considered wearing a mourning suit to avoid 'embarrassment.' Harry's despair is understood to largely centre around Prince Andrew, who is also no longer a working royal, who retained the initials on his vice-admiral’s uniform as the Queen's children held a vigil on Friday night.
Usually, only working royals are permitted to dress in uniform at ceremonial occasions. Meaning Harry and Andrew have both been in civilian dress for Queen Elizabeth’s Cathedral service in Edinburgh and the coffin’s procession to Westminster Hall.
Yet, an exception was made for Prince Andrew, who will got to wear his uniform as a ‘special mark of respect’ - with the 'ER' initials for the Queen as he stood guard of her coffin alongside King Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward during the next Vigil of the Princes last week.
Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles and Royal patronages by Buckingham Palace after a New York judge ruled he would face trial over accusations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was a teenager. Andrew agreed an out of court settlement with Giuffre, an American woman who had been a victim of Epstein and who had accused Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. Andrew denied any wrongdoing and was not found guilty of any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile Prince Harry, who lost his honorary military appointments and Royal patronages after he stepped down as a senior member of the Royal Family by choice, has not been allowed to wear his well-earned military uniform, a source has confirmed to reporters.
In his final statement Prince Harry recalled the memories of his granny, Queen Elizabeth, attending his passing out parade in 2006 when he officially became a British Army officer, 'Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings - from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren,’ he wrote.
'I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over. And as it comes to first meetings, we now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III.
'Thank you for your commitment to service. Thank you for your sound advice. Thank you for your infectious smile. We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa are reunited now, and both together in peace.'
This is not the first exception that has been made for Prince Andrew and not Prince Harry. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex famously lost their security while Prince Andrew was permitted three bodyguards costing £300,000. He was also allowed to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day while Harry was reportedly told he couldn’t do the same.