Moment Prince Harry's Military Service Was Finally Recognized Goes Viral

Prince Harry wearing his military uniform in honor of Queen Elizabeth II went viral on TikTok as Britain prepares to pay respect to its war dead.

The Duke of Sussex was barred from wearing uniform at multiple events, including his grandfather Prince Philip's funeral, despite having served two tours of Afghanistan.

The justification was the fact he had quit as a working royal but after Queen Elizabeth II died, a vigil for her children was included in commemorations at which Prince Andrew was allowed to wear his, despite the fact the Duke of York was also no longer a working royal.

A major backlash against the monarchy began in which even ardent critics of Harry, such as Piers Morgan, defended his military record.

However, an 11th hour palace U-turn created an opportunity for Harry to wear his military uniform in honor of his grandmother at a vigil that was just for Elizabeth's grandchildren.

More than a year later, a clip of the somber occasion, while the queen was lying-in-state at Westminster Hall, in September 2022, has gone viral on TikTok where it was viewed 536,000 times and liked 16,000 times.

It comes ahead of Armistice Day on Saturday, November 11, and Remembrance Sunday, on November 12, when people in Britain will stop to remember those who died in wars.

And on Monday, November 6, a pre-recorded message from Prince Harry was played to Stand-Up for Heroes, a comedy night that raises money for veterans.

One comment on the TikTok post read: "This was emotional, miss Prince Harry, his father and brother threw him under the bus."

Another wrote: "Though Harry caused her heartache, she loved him as only a grandmother can, im glad he took part in this and in uniform. love has no boundaries."

Morgan overcame years of critical commentary on Harry and Meghan Markle to back the prince in a column for The Sun on September 14: "I'm not a fan of Prince Harry, to put it mildly. I think his behavior since quitting Britain and royal duty has been appallingly selfish, greedy, and damaging to the monarchy.

"But one thing I will never begrudge him is the right to be properly respected for his military service which included two tours of Afghanistan.

"And I don't think it's right that he has been banned from wearing his uniform at events to commemorate the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

"I know the 'rules' say he can't because only working royals can wear uniforms. But there are times when such protocol and rules need to be torn up, and common sense applied, and this is one of them."

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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