Royal Family Will Not Wear Military Uniforms To Prince Philip's Funeral For This Reason: Report

None of the senior members of the British royal family will be wearing a military uniform to Prince Philip's funeral this weekend, multiple reports say.

Though several members of the royal family hold military rank, including Prince William and Prince Charles, all the senior royals will wear non-military attire for the late Duke of Edinburgh's service on Saturday at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, reported multiple outlets, including ITV.

Prince Philip served in the navy for over a decade. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in July 1950, 11 years after joining the Royal Navy. He commanded the anti-submarine frigate HMS Magpie from September 1950 until July 1951. However, his naval career as a commander ended in 1953 after almost 14 years of service, the same year Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the British throne.

Buckingham Palace has yet to comment on the reported dress code for the funeral, Entertainment Tonight noted. However, ITV indicated that it was the Queen who made the decision to require mourning dress instead of military uniforms and suggested that it was to spare the family "embarrassment" for Prince Andrew and Prince Harry.

Prince Andrew, who was made an honorary vice admiral of the Royal Navy in 2015, stepped down from his royal duties in November 2019 after he was linked to disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York denied his ties with Epstein in an interview with BBC at the time. Days after the interview, however, he announced that he would no longer be taking royal duties "for the foreseeable future" and has since stayed out of the spotlight.

Protocol dictates that he is not entitled to wear his uniform after he stepped back from his royal duties, Hello magazine reported.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry served in the Army for 10 years. He became a captain and undertook two tours of duty in Afghanistan. His experience with the military also prompted the Duke of Sussex to start the Invictus Games, an athletic competition for the wounded veterans.

However, he was stripped of his military appointments after he decided to step back as a working royal. According to "Finding Freedom" authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, this had been difficult for Prince Harry to accept.

"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 said in the book. "It’s the one that made Harry emotional."

Meanwhile, only 30 people will be able to attend Prince Philip's funeral, which "will very much reflect the personal wishes of the Duke," the report added. Scobie said earlier that the Duke of Edinburgh won't receive the royals' customary state funeral like Princess Diana as he preferred a more intimate affair.

There will be no public access, but journalists and photographers will be present. Royal expert Katie Nicholl, meanwhile, said she believes Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry will be walking behind his coffin.

"We understand that just as they walked behind Diana's coffin at her funeral, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry will walk behind Prince Philip's coffin in what is going to be a very moving final farewell to the duke," Nicholl told ET.