Why Harry has been allowed to wear his military uniform

P.G. Wodehouse once wrote that ‘it is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.’ Much the same might be said of Prince Harry, whose ability to bear grudges – and to make it clear, publicly, why he is doing so – has been displayed with remarkable consistency over the past couple of years. When he isn’t suing the British government for not allowing him to bring his own private security to the country of his birth, he’s railing against the iniquities of his family to Oprah Winfrey or giving angry public speeches in which he denounces whatever ills he has found in society. These, admittedly, usually come as more of a surprise to him than the rest of the world, who have not enjoyed quite so cossetted an upbringing.

Yet in the wake of his grandmother’s death, the Duke of Sussex – and, of course, his ever-present, endlessly controversial wife – have behaved themselves, understanding that the soap opera that they are the central characters in has come to a temporary halt, and that they are instead supporting players in an altogether greater drama. It was to this end that their continued presence in Britain has been as uneventful as possible, but, Harry being Harry, there had to be at least one front-page, attention-grabbing news story. The surprise in this case is that most of the country would probably be on his side.

The saga arose over the Duke being informed at the beginning of this week that, as a non-working royal, he would not be allowed to wear his military uniform at any of the events that he was present at, including this evening’s vigil for the Queen, and that he should instead wear a morning suit. This was felt to be a petty act of vindictiveness, even as the Duke’s spokesman announced that an acknowledgement of his military service ‘was not dictated by the uniform he wears.’ Yet, as it became clear that the disgraced Duke of York would be wearing his military attire for ceremonial occasions, the potential for embarrassment had to be defused. Therefore, Harry has been granted special dispensation to wear his uniform at the vigil tonight, something described as a one-off mark of respect rather than a U-turn.

It is undeniably a victory for the Duke, and is likely to be a popular one, bringing harmony where discord had threatened to intrude. One royal source (who, no doubt, was suitably briefed by the Sussexes) confided to the Daily Telegraph, ‘Common sense has prevailed. It was a ludicrous situation, given the Duke of Sussex has served his country and is a highly respected member of the Armed Forces with everything he has done for veterans.’ As the saga of whether or not the Sussexes’ children Archie and Lilibet will be granted HRH status rumbles on – the latest is that they will be prince and princess but not given full HRH treatment, due to their parents’ status as non-working royals – the swift resolution to this story is a sign of the new King’s desire not to be plunged into unnecessary controversy this early in his reign.

Yet seasoned Harry watchers know that this temporary cessation in hostilities is not the same thing as an armistice. There is still an incendiary memoir to be published by Harry – undoubtedly not this year – and the ongoing court cases and legal battles will lead to further embarrassing publicity. And scholars of history might look to the precedent of Harry’s great-great uncle, the Duke of Windsor, who was involved in a similar contretemps at the outbreak of the second world war, when he wore a military uniform that he was not entitled to because of his reduced rank. In the case of the former Duke, he ended up disgraced, exiled and accused of Nazi sympathies. Let us only hope that Prince Harry does not find himself involved in similar controversies yet.