Prince Harry Is Not Wearing Military Uniform at King Charles’ Coronation

(Image credit: Getty)

published 6 May 2023

As Marie Claire reported recently, Prince Harry—who is in attendance this morning at his father King Charles’ Coronation—was mired in another uniform debacle ahead of the ceremony: Would he or wouldn’t he be allowed to wear one? (Harry served in the British Army for 10 years and undertook two tours of duty in Afghanistan.) The answer has emerged, People reports, and the Duke of Sussex is wearing a morning suit to today’s event, the outlet reports.

People reported “Harry was asked to wear a morning suit—and he was happy to go along with the request.”

Harry has no formal role in today’s ceremony and will not take part in the procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, nor will he take part in the balcony appearance at the Palace. During the service at the Abbey, Harry is expected to sit nearby cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the latter of whom he is particularly close to.

Prince Harry arriving at Westminster Abbey

Harry reportedly arrived in the U.K. just yesterday and will take a flight home to California within two hours of the ceremony ending this afternoon. People reports that the transatlantic trip of more than 5,400 miles is about an 11-hour nonstop flight, and, with the time difference, he will be home in California by evening, the goal being in enough time to celebrate son Prince Archie’s fourth birthday, which is also today. Archie is at home with sister Princess Lilibet and mother Meghan Markle, who opted not to attend today’s Coronation.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.