bitchy | Tominey: Actually, Prince Harry should be allowed to wear a uniform (update)

Prince Harry won’t be “allowed” to wear any of his military dress uniforms for his grandmother’s funeral. He wasn’t allowed to wear military dress for his grandfather’s funeral either, although Queen Elizabeth II’s solution for that dilemma was that no one was allowed to wear military uniforms for Prince Philip’s funeral. I remember that controversy well because I covered it extensively last year. The Windsors went out of their way to try to “punish” Harry for walking away from being a full-time “working royal,” and it immediately came back on them like instant karma. These people are so short-sighted and gleefully punitive that they are incapable of seeing how bad it looks that a combat veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan is the only royal man who won’t be allowed to wear a uniform. While I’m sure Harry is sad about it, keep in mind that he’s never freaked out or issued statements about any of it. He just sits back and watches his family make complete asses out of themselves in their rush to punish him. Harry understands – he sees it now – that their cruelty and pettiness knows no bounds. All of which to say, even Camilla Tominey understands that this sh-t looks bad. Here’s her piece in the Telegraph:

The decision not to allow the Duke of Sussex to wear military uniform for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral is a rare misstep by Buckingham Palace during what has been a reassuringly smooth transition process so far.

Although he no longer holds any military appointments after stepping down from public duties in January 2020, as a former major in the British army, Prince Harry would have been entitled to wear his Blues and Royals uniform with the ultimate permission of his father. Instead he will have to wear mourning dress while the King, his brother the Prince of Wales and other close relatives are all in military uniform adorned with medals.

As a military expert confirmed: “The decision will have gone to the Lieutenant Colonel Commanding Household Cavalry, who would have passed it on to the Colonel of the Blues and Royals, who is the Princess Royal, who would have deferred it to the Colonel in Chief designate, who is the King. This decision will have been taken at the highest level. There is no other way of looking at it but as a firm put down.”

Denying Harry the right to wear military uniform – even though the disgraced Duke of York has been permitted to wear his Royal Navy dress for the final vigil at Westminster Hall, does appear rather petty.

While the palace may just be following the protocol for “non-working” royals (notwithstanding the brief reprieve for Andrew) – the public will view it as an unnecessary snub.

Regardless of what he may have said and done in recent years – the general consensus will be that if any of the Royals should be entitled to wear military uniform – then it is Harry, 37, because he served two tours of Afghanistan. In total, the father-of-two spent more than 30-weeks on deployment in Helmand Province, first as a Forward Air Controller from 2007 to 2008 and then, between 2012 and 2013 as a co-pilot and gunner for an Apache helicopter.

While serving his second deployment as part of the 100-strong 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment, Army Air Corps, he faced the same risk as any other soldier in combat. By all accounts he proved himself to be an exemplary leader on the battlefield who later qualified as an Apache aircraft commander with the highest marks in his group. It appears odd that Harry and Andrew are largely going to be confined to civvies when they are the only two senior royals to have seen active service.

The decision also looks out of step with what his beloved grandmother would have wanted. As with Prince Andrew’s flying helicopters during the 1982 Falklands War, the late Queen was incredibly proud of the 10 years Harry spent in the Army.

[From The Telegraph]

Again, Harry hasn’t said anything. If Harry was even protesting this decision to the new king’s courtiers, we would have found out about it. Harry is sitting in Frogmore Cottage, minding his business and grieving for a beloved grandmother, all while his father and his brother’s and father’s henchmen are devising tone-deaf and asinine ways to punish him. Apparently, it would never occur to any of them that it looks incredibly stupid for Prince Edward to wear his fancy dress uniform and all of his unearned medals while a two-time combat veteran is in a regular suit. It is what it is.

Update: Harry also believes “it is what it is.” He released a no-drama-here statement about how he’s fine with wearing a suit and not a dress uniform.

NEW: “Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother. His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

— Emily Nash (@emynash) September 13, 2022

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