Prince Philip funeral: Royals to skip uniforms

Senior royals must wear civilian clothes to Prince Philip’s funeral, defusing potential tensions over who’d be allowed to don military uniforms.

Queen Elizabeth II’s decision means Prince Harry won’t risk being the only member of the royal family not in uniform during Saturday’s funeral for his grandfather, who died last week at the age of 99.

Members of the royal family often wear uniforms to public events by virtue of their honorary roles with the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. But Harry lost his honorary military titles when he decided to give up frontline royal duties last year.

As a result, protocol suggests that Harry, an army veteran who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, may only wear a suit with medals at royal functions, Britain’s Press Association reported.

The decision also sidesteps another potential controversy after reports that Prince Andrew considered wearing an admiral’s uniform to his father’s funeral. Andrew retains his military titles even though he was forced to step away from royal duties after a disastrous interview with the BBC about his acquaintance with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.