If you noticed that Prince Harry didn’t salute during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, you should know that there’s a totally undramatic reason behind his stoic posture.
Today, the royal family gathered in England to celebrate the monarch’s life with a state funeral. Before they entered Westminster Abbey, some members—like King Charles III and Prince William—performed a formal salute while others—like Prince Harry—stood with their arms at their sides.
As Hello! magazine points out, Prince Harry isn’t allowed to salute because it’s “a military custom in which a soldier signals respect to a superior rank.” When he stepped down as a senior member of the royal family, he gave up his military titles and, therefore, isn’t permitted to carry out formal greetings—like a salute.
This also explains why he wore a suit (instead of his military uniform) during the queen’s funeral. During last week’s vigil, King Charles made an exception by allowing Prince Harry to wear his Blues and Royals uniform, but that wasn’t the case for today’s event.
Most of the royal family attended the monarch’s funeral service at Westminster Abbey—the site of the queen’s 1953 coronation and where she married Prince Philip. This included Prince William and Kate Middleton’s oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. (Their youngest brother, Prince Louis, was not in attendance.)
We’d do anything to give Prince Harry a hug right now.
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