Prince Harry 'Saddened' He Can't Wear Military Uniform To Queen Elizabeth's Funeral: Report

Prince Harry has been dealt another blow following Queen Elizabeth II's death as royal protocol will not allow him to dress in military uniform to pay his respects to his late grandmother, according to reports.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Monday that only working members of the royal family who hold military rank will wear military uniforms at the five major ceremonial events leading up to and including the Queen's state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Sept. 19, People reported.

The Duke of Sussex was stripped of his military titles after he quit royal duties and moved to California with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020. Prince Harry and his uncle Prince Andrew, who are both no longer senior working royals, will not be permitted to wear their uniforms to any of the ceremonies during the period of mourning proclaimed by King Charles III and to Queen Elizabeth's funeral.

"I'm sure Harry will be saddened not to wear his military uniform to the Queen's funeral," an unnamed royal source told Page Six.

Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Harry, 37, are expected to wear mourning dress, or dark suits, for the scheduled events and the funeral, according to People.

However, the palace announced that Prince Andrew — who was forced to quit public duties in 2019 and settled a sexual abuse case Virginia Giuffre filed against him for an undisclosed amount in February — will be allowed to wear his military uniform "as a special mark of respect for Her Majesty" while standing vigil at St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, where members of the royal family, including King Charles, will stand beside the coffin in a tradition known as the Vigil of the Princes.

Working members of the family will wear their uniforms at the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Giles' Cathedral, the procession to and vigil at Westminster Hall, the state funeral service and the committal service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth will be laid to rest, the palace said.

Unnamed sources told Page Six that none of the grandchildren will be standing vigil for Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away Thursday at the age of 96.

During Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021, none of the Queen's children or grandchildren wore their military uniforms. Instead, the gentlemen wore mourning attire. According to previous reports, the decision was made to avoid any embarrassment that could overshadow the ceremony.

Several outlets believed that the decision was both for Prince Andrew and Prince Harry.

Prince Andrew spent 22 years in the Royal Navy and was made an honorary vice admiral of the U.K.'s naval warfare force in 2015 before he stepped down from royal duties due to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of Sussex, meanwhile, served in the Army for 10 years, during which he rose to the rank of captain. He undertook two tours of Afghanistan.

Protocol dictates that they are not entitled to wear their uniforms after quitting public life.

Prince Harry lost his three honorary military titles — captain general of the Royal Marines, honorary air commandant of RAF Honington and commodore-in-chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command — when he and Markle stepped back from their senior royal roles in March 2020.

Prince Harry's experience serving in the military prompted him to start the Invictus Games, an athletic competition for wounded servicemen and veterans.

Losing his military titles was reportedly among the hardest things that Prince Harry had to accept after he decided to step back from royal duties.

"That's been a tough pill to swallow, and one that has been the most painful for Meghan to witness him go through," an unnamed source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand for their biography, "Finding Freedom." "It's the one that made Harry emotional."