Prince Harry 'Humiliated' The Queen's Initials Were Removed From His Military Uniform — Disgraced Prince Andrew Allowed To Keep His
Sept. 18 2022, Published 2:25 p.m. ET
Prince Harry dutifully stood guard by Queen Elizabeth II's coffin at Westminster Hall on Saturday, September 17, but there was something missing from his attire.
The Duke of Sussex has been heartbroken since the passing of his grandmother and the Royal Family seemingly added insult to injury by ordering the removal of Her Majesty's "ER" initials from his military uniform. However, disgraced Prince Andrew was allowed to keep the special letters.
The royal cypher is worn by those presently "in service" of the reigning monarch. The removal of the initials is believed to be a fairly typical uniform regulation, however, Harry was said to be "devastated" when he found out about the change.
The Duke of Sussex is a military veteran who served in the British Army for 10 years, including deploying on two tours to Afghanistan.
While he is no longer in the military and has since left his royal duties to seek a new life in the United States with his wife, Meghan Markle, and his children, Archie and Lilibet, he continues to work directly with charity efforts for servicemen and women. Shortly before leaving the military, Harry launched the Invictus games in 2014, which supports wounded, injured and sick active duty servicemembers as well as veterans.
"He is heartbroken," a friend revealed in a recent interview. "To remove his grandmother’s initials feels very intentional."
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The snub appeared especially pointed as Andrew was allowed to keep his mother's letters on his own uniform, despite losing his military titles and royal patronages amid the Virginia Giuffre scandal.
The Duke of York, who was known to have a close affiliation with both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, was accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with Giuffre when she was only 17-years-old. He reached a settlement in the case earlier this year. Although the sum was not disclosed, it is believed to be around $10 million.
Following being stripped of his titles, Andrew also lost his annual Navy pension of over $20,000.
The friend spoke to The Sunday Times.