Anyone watching the Queen Elizabeth’s vigil in Edinburgh, Scotland may have noticed Prince Andrew wearing a very different uniform to his brothers and sister as they marched behind their mother’s coffin.
The Queen’s coffin made a mile-long journey from the Throne Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh to St Giles Cathedral escorted by King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
Rather than wearing a military uniform like his siblings, The Duke of York was seen wearing a dark suit.
British royals are known to collect military ranks and uniforms. While Princess Anne did not serve in the military, the 72 year-old is an honorary Rear Admiral, a patron of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, and Commodore-in-Chief for Portsmouth.
Meanwhile King Charles III is an honorary Colonel-in-Chief of numerous regiments in the armed services.
Prior to the Queen’s vigil, Buckingham Palace announced that only working members of the royal family would wear military uniforms.
While Prince Andrew spent 22 years in the Royal Navy, serving as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands war in 1982, he lost his military titles, royal patronages and is no longer a senior working royal.
The Duke of York was stripped of his titles in January 2022 by Queen Elizabeth after being accused of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre who alleged he had sex with her while she was underage. She also alleged that she was a victim of trafficking by convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein.
The disgraced royal has since largely remained out of the public eye in the months leading up to the Queen’s vigil, along with daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
He also did a sit-down TV interview in 2019 to address his links to the convicted paedophile with the intention of clearing his name. However it was later claimed a “train wreck” that lead to further public outrage.
The interview is being turned into a feature film titled Scoop and it is expected to be yet another PR nightmare for the royal family.