Prince Andrew was made by King Charles III to wear his military uniform as he joined his siblings for a ‘final vigil’ around his late mother’s coffin as she lies in state at Westminster Hall, reports claim.
The Duke of York, 62, arrived at the vigil in Westminster Hall, London while his mother was lying in state with the rest of his siblings in his full uniform after it was said his brother lifted a ban on him wearing the outfit.
But palace sources told the Times, this ‘out of the blue’ instruction does not mean Andrew, who was forced to give up his HRH status and was stripped of all his honorary military titles earlier this year amid the fallout from his ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein will return as a working royal.
A Buckingham Palace source said the decision by the Charles to let him wear his uniform for the London vigil, but not the Princes ceremony at St Giles’ Cathedral or the Queen‘s state funeral, was an ‘act of kindness’.
Paying tribute to the Monarch, Prince Andrew said on Sunday: ‘Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever.’
Prince Andrew (pictured on Friday evening) was ordered by King Charles III to wear his military uniform as he joined his siblings for a ‘final vigil’ around his late mother’s coffin as she lies in state at Westminster Hall, reports claim
King Charles III stands vigil beside the coffin of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as she lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall
Britain’s King Charles III, Britain’s Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Britain’s Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex arrive at Westminster Abbey for their mother’s state funeral
s the Queen’s children, along with Prince William and Prince Harry, followed the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall last week, neither the Duke of York nor the Duke of Sussex were wearing their uniforms – instead dressed in suits.
During a Vigil of Princes ceremony last Monday at St Giles’ Cathedral, Prince Andrew was not wearing his military uniform as he is no longer a working royal.
However as Andrew replicated the ceremonial act with his siblings on Friday evening, in which they ‘took guard’ and surrounded their mother’s coffin, the Falklands War veteran was allowed to wear his military uniform.
It is thought King Charles lifted the ban on Andrew’s dress as a ‘mark of respect for his mother’.
Prince Andrew was pictured wearing his military uniform as he arrived at Westminster Hall with his brother, Prince Edward, to attend a vigil in honour of his mother the Queen
Princess Anne was also pictured arriving at Westminster Hall with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence
The Queen’s children arrived at Westminster Hall where they stood guard over their mother’s coffin in silence for 10 minutes, while members of the public filed past
Andrew (pictured) joined his siblings at a ceremonial vigil that replicated that of the Vigil of Princes
The King, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward stood guard over their mother’s coffin in silence for 10 minutes while members of the public filed past.
It is understood that the ban on Prince Andrew wearing military uniform, which has seen him opt for a morning suit for public appearances during his mother’s funeral ceremonies, was lifted as an exception for the final vigil held in London.
That has likely come as a relief for the Duke, who was heckled during a procession in Edinburgh and had to solemnly bow his head while his siblings saluted as they walked behind their late mother’s coffin as it was transported by gun carriage.
Princess Anne, the Queen’s lone daughter, made history at the last ‘Vigil of the Princes’ at St Giles’ Cathedral when she became the first female member of the royal family to ‘stand guard’ as part of the commemoration.
Monday’s ‘Vigil of the Princes’ marked the first time the tradition has taken place since 2002.
There have been two such ceremonies in the past: in 1936, with the death of King George V in 1936, and in 2002, during the Queen Mother’s funeral.
That vigil was attended by the royal’s four grandsons – King Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and the Earl of Snowdon.
Prince Andrew, 62, who is no longer a working royal, was permitted by his eldest brother King Charles III to wear his military uniform as he stood guard over his mother’s coffin
In a statement released on the eve of her funeral, Prince Andrew hailed the late monarch for her ‘knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment’, adding: ‘I will miss your insights, advice and humour’.
He described the Queen as ‘Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty, three in one’ and said it had been an ‘honour and privilege’ to serve her.
Andrew accompanied his words with a black and white photo taken by society photographer Cecil Beaton of his mother holding him as a newborn in March 1960.
The duke said: ‘Dear Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty, three in one. Your Majesty, it has been an honour and privilege to serve you. Mother – of the nation, your devotion and personal service to our nation is unique and singular; your people show their love and respect in so many different ways and I know you are looking on honouring their respect.
‘Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever. I have found your knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment. I will miss your insights, advice and humour. As our book of experiences closes, another opens, and I will forever hold you close to my heart with my deepest love and gratitude, and I will tread gladly into the next with you as my guide.
He finished with the words God Save The King – in honour of his brother King Charles, who acceded the throne after his mother’s death.