Members of the Royal Family have taken part in two moving vigils alongside the Queen’s coffin during its lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.
On Friday evening, the monarch’s children took part in a ceremony known as the Vigil of the Princes, before her grandchildren held their own vigil the following night.
The events took on added significance as the Duke of York and the Duke of Sussex – who are no longer working royals – were granted permission to break with protocol and wear military uniform.
However, this will not be the case for the Queen’s state funeral on Monday 19 September – here’s everything you need to know.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, are no longer working members of the Royal Family.
Buckingham Palace stated that they should therefore not be permitted to wear uniform during the ceremonial events marking the Queen, including the funeral.
However, Prince Andrew was granted the right to wear military dress at Friday’s vigil as a “special mark of respect” for Elizabeth II.
Harry, too, had been denied the chance to wear his military uniform as he publicly mourned, instead wearing a morning suit with his medals at all official events.
However, ahead of Saturday’s vigil the Daily Mirror reported that Palace officials had a change of heart after Andrew was granted permission, with a source saying “common sense has prevailed”.
The Duke of Sussex issued a statement after it was originally announced that he would have to wear civilian dress.
His spokesperson said: “Prince Harry will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother.
“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.”
Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down from official royal duties more than two years ago.
Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles, royal titles and “His Royal Highness” styling in January, after losing an appeal to try and dismiss a potential civil lawsuit by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has accused him of forcing her to have sex with him on three occasions when she was 17. He has repeatedly denied the claims.
At the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in April 2021, the issue of clothing was dealt with by the Queen, who decided that no members of the Royal Family should wear uniform. It was a break with tradition but seen as the best solution.
Prince Harry is a former Army officer who served for more than 10 years, seeing action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
He received the KCVO Star, representing the Royal Victorian Order, and the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan.
The Duke of Sussex retains the current rank of captain but he lost the title of Captain General of the Royal Marines after he left the Royal Family.
Andrew trained as a naval officer in 1979, following in the footsteps of his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, and went on to fly helicopters during the Falklands War, as well as serving on the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible.
The Duke of York retired from active duty in 2001 as a commander, but initially remained affiliated to the Royal Navy and kept his titles.
This year he was stripped of the majority of his titles after more than 150 military veterans wrote to the Queen expressing their “upset and anger”, but retained his rank as Vice Admiral.
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