Prince Harry wore a morning suit for the coronation of his father King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6. Read why the Duke of Sussex was not dressed in his military uniform.
Prince Harry’s attire for King Charles III’s coronation?
The Duke of Sussex wore a black morning suit along with a white shirt, gray tie and his military medals to the historic occasion at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6. As for why he didn’t wear his military uniform? While an exact reason has not been given, it may be because he’s no longer a working member of the royal family (E! News has reached out to his rep for comment).
After all, Harry—who served in the British Army for 10 years and undertook two operational tours of Afghanistan—was not allowed to wear his military uniform to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last September for the same reason.
However, the 38-year-old—who stepped back from this role with Meghan Markle back in 2020—tried to keep the focus on his grandmother.
“Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex will wear a morning suit throughout events honoring his grandmother,” a spokesperson for the duke—who did wear his military medals to the funeral procession and was allowed to don his uniform at a vigil at the request of the king—told E! News at the time. “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.”
Harry’s attire isn’t the only thing to make headlines this coronation weekend. His reunion with the royal family four months after the release of his bombshell memoir Spare has as well.
Initially, it was unclear if Harry would attend the king’s coronation given the state of his relationship with Charles and his brother Prince William (with Harry telling 60 Minutes’ Anderson Cooper in January that he hadn’t spoken to them in “a while”).
However, his rep confirmed last month that the Duke of Sussex would be at the event while the Duchess of Sussex would stay at the couple’s home in California along with their daughter Princess Lilibet, 23 months, and son Prince Archie, whose fourth birthday falls on the same day as the coronation.
So what will it be like when Harry and William are both at the ceremony?
“I do think that both of these gentlemen are, you know, mature enough to at least be cordial with each other,” royal correspondent Sharon Carpenter exclusively told E! News ahead of the coronation. “Maybe there’s not going to be any deep conversation going on, but they’re very aware that the eyes of the world are going to be on them. Everyone is watching their every move.”
William sat in the first row at the church, and Harry sat in the third. And while Sharon noted they may not have time for any “reconciliation talks” given the full schedule this weekend, she takes both of their presences at the coronation to be a positive sign.
“They may save this sort of deeper conversation for the next trip,” Sharon added. “But you know—at least if we see them cordial together—I think it’s just fantastic that they’re all going to be together again. I think that is just a big move, a grand move in the right direction.”