Starting disclaimer: obviously it’s entirely correct Andrew does not usually Don millitatry clothing as by his own stupidity and gross behaviour he brought them into disrepute.
Also, sorry for the long post. I just keep seeing so much disinformation about this all over the internet. People intentionally ignoring the rules of the British military to suit whichever side of the story they’re representing..
The Royal Family wear military uniforms because the Queen and now Charles were/are “head of the military” and therefore gave honoury positions to her children who arguably do a lot to support the military.
Charles and William both served in the military, but were banned from active service due to their direct link to the throne. William in that time was a pilot. When he left the army around the time of his marriage he used that skill for good and became a search and rescue pilot, a job he did for quite a few years, and he donated his wage… so he essentially did this for free, because he wanted a job and to use the skills he had for good, because he wasn’t allowed to go to Iraq etc.
Princess Anne has never seen military life in the real sense. She’s never trained etc, but she does do a lot of ceremonial things for them. Edward is the one who should be most embarrassed by wearing the uniform because he dropped out
The usual rules of military is that you are only allowed to wear a uniform after you’ve left the army if you’ve served for over 20 years.
Andrew saw active service during the falklands war. He was on the front line and he served the military for 22 years. The only other royal to serve in the army on the front line is of course Harry, who did two tours and was in the army for 12 years.
The actual member “most deserving” ie actually entitled to wear a uniform ignoring the fact he brought the forces into disrupte, is Andrew. This is why he was initially allowed when Harry was not, because by the rules of the military itself, he is entitled to wear the uniform he did due to his own service. I believe the uniform he wore was the level he had got up to in the military. A big issue he had before the Queen died is that his honoury positions were rightly taken away from him and he got his knickers in a twist that he wasn’t allowed to wear the level of uniform he wanted to. The regiment he had the honoury title with then said they didn’t want him to have that anymore and he kind of shut up (and good because he’s a dick).
By the rules of the military Harry isn’t entitled to wear a uniform anymore because he left the army before the 20 year entitlement, and when he moved to America the Queen stripped him of his honoury titles as these come with an expected level of work and representation in the UK, which he was not able to do living in America.
That is why Andrew was originally allowed and Harry was not.
That all being said, I am glad an exception had been made in this case. Harry clearly does love the military and I am sure, had he stayed living in the UK it’s probably one of the Royal Duties he enjoyed the most and would have wanted to continue with. It was also getting a bit ridiculous that, that was the story rather than the Queen dying.
I really believe that Harry did not make a fuss about this. I think Andrew was allowed to wear it at one final request of the Queen that Charles didn’t feel he could go against, and I don’t think Harry would have wanted to rock that boat at this time.
I am glad Charles made the decision to let him.
mourning
