Before the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), King Charles III. (73), Princess Anne (72), Prince Edward (58) and Prince William (40) saluted in front of Westminster Abbey in London. Prince Harry (38) was also in the formation with his father, brother, aunt and uncles. But while his family members held a hand to the hat in honor of the Queen, the Duke of Sussex and his uncle Prince Andrew (62) kept their hands down. Why?
It is due to the changed roles of the two princes. The salute is a military custom used by a soldier to show respect to a superior. With his retirement as senior royal, Prince Harry also said goodbye to his uniform and military customs. Because of this, the former army officer could not salute next to his family members. Prince Andrew fell out of favor after his involvement in the Epstein scandal and also had to resign from his posts.
For this reason, both princes – unlike the other close family members – did not appear in military uniform for the state funeral. Only at the wake of the royal grandchildren on Sunday at the Queen’s coffin did King Charles allow his son to wear his military uniform. The same applied to Prince Andrew on Friday evening, when he held a wake with the Queen’s children.
