Ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, Prince William, King Charles III, Princess Anne and Prince Edward performed a salute outside of Westminster Abbey.
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Prince Harry stood in formation with his father, brother, aunts and uncles, but while his family members saluted, the Duke of Sussex, alongside his uncle Prince Andrew, remained stoic, with his arms by his sides.
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A salute is a military custom in which a soldier signals respect to a superior rank. While Prince Harry was in the military, he waved goodbye to his uniform and military practices when he stepped back from his role as a senior royal, meaning he was unable to salute alongside his family members.
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Despite being a former Army officer Harry has been in civilian dress for official events, including walking behind his grandmother’s coffin on Wednesday 14 September when it was carried to Westminster Hall to lie in state.
While Harry was not in his uniform for the funeral, he was granted permission by his father, King Charles, to don his military uniform for a vigil held around the Queen's coffin.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Harry didn't salute alongside his family
HELLO! understands the Prince's main focus was to honour his grandmother, and the decision to allow him to wear the uniform, despite stepping down as a senior royal, was made without Harry requesting a change. The father-of-two had been prepared to wear whatever the Queen had made plans for.
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During the vigil, royal watchers noticed that while the Prince of Wales' uniform included the late monarch's initials 'ER' on the shoulder of his uniform, as well as his hat, Prince Harry's did not.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Harry remained stoic during the ceremony
The reason for the variance between the two brothers' uniforms is unclear, however, the same difference was noticeable at Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018 during which the brother donned their military uniforms. In one photo from the wedding day, the initials can clearly be seen on William's uniform, while Harry's is without.
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