Prince Harry’s vision is obscured by Princess Anne’s feather
The Duke of Sussex has taken his place among the underage, non-working members of the royal family coronation servicewhere he is relegated to the third row.
The Duke sat alongside his cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, at Westminster Abbey.
He was placed between Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank, and Princess Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth II’s 86-year-old cousin.
He appeared relaxed as he arrived at the Abbey flanked by his cousins.
He walked down the nave alone, nodding and smiling at several members of the congregation and saying hello to someone he knew.
The Duke’s view seemed somewhat blocked by the large red feather worn by his aunt, the Princess Royal, who was seated directly in front of him.
Viewers joked on social media that she wore the “vision-obscuring” feather on purpose.
In reality, it’s the plume of the Blues and Royals whose uniform she’s wearing.
The Duke arrived in the UK on Fridayjust hours before the ceremony.
However, there will be one fleeting 24-hour visit as he rushes back to see his son, Prince Archie, on his fourth birthday, which is today.
As a non-working king, he will neither take part in the procession back to Buckingham Palace nor appear on the balcony.
It is considered unlikely that he would return to the palace for a private family dinner or even appear in the official portraits taken afterwards.
A source close to the Duke said he will “do his best” to attend as many events as possible on the day.
But he hasn’t made any firm commitments as it will depend on how schedules fall later.
As The Telegraph first revealed, the Duke – who served 10 years in the army and made two deployments to Afghanistan – has done so not allowed to wear military uniform because he is not a working member of the royal family.
Instead, he wears a morning suit.
The decision follows royal protocol laid down on previous state occasions, including the late Queen’s funeral last September.
Buckingham Palace said all members of the royal family wore morning attire with mantles appropriate to the highest order to which they belong – the Garter, Thistle or the Royal Victorian Order (RVO).
The Duke is a Knight Commander of the RVO, a rank that has no robes.
Prince Harry made no special requests regarding his outfit for the coronation but was willing to wear whatever was asked of him, sources confirmed.
The Duke’s brother, the Prince of Wales, wears the Welsh Guards ceremonial uniform.
At the late Queen’s coronation in 1953, peers were required to wear lavish, floor-length coronation robes.
For the service of the king, hereditary peers were initially told to dress in accordance with the demure tone of the ceremony, before a last-minute about-face indicated they could wear the robes if they wished.
In order to attend the portrait session that will take place after the flyby, the Duke would have to wait in the background for some time.
There is some question as to whether he would want to join the family for an informal lunch, which is likely to take place before then The portrait session begins.
Hugo Burnand, the official coronation photographer, won’t know for now if he’ll have the unenviable task of defusing family tensions and making sure everyone poses with a suitably wide smile.
Lord Soames, a close friend of the king, announced this week that the duke’s behavior towards his family had come as a case “terrible blow” to the monarch and a “most tragic” turn of events.
The Duke confirmed in mid-April that he would be attending the coronation amid growth hope for a reconciliation with his father.
The Duchess of Sussex chose to stay in California instead with their children Prince Archie and one-year-old Princess Lilibet to host the young prince’s birthday party.