When Queen Elizabeth II passed away last Thursday, the United Kingdom immediately began a period of official mourning that will last up to a week after the monarch’s funeral on Monday, September 19.
This is one of many traditions peculiar to the British nation, which may seem superfluous or strange to American knights, but which are deeply rooted in time-honored history. Another part of these traditions has to do with the appropriate mourning clothing worn by the rest of the royal family; these strict protocols must be observed, lest the queen’s descendants be accused of disrespecting the dead.
As with many obscure royal decrees, the rules regarding funeral dress are not necessarily written down anywhere; there is no manual for royal behavior. Rather, these traditions have been created, reinforced and passed down over hundreds of successive inherited years, with notable episodes of breaking with the status quo: in 1938, the Queen Mother wore a brilliant white dress to her mother’s funeral for opposed to the mood of the environment. of the imminent war.
For the duration of Elizabeth II’s mourning period, during which many public events will be held in her honour, all working royals must wear military uniform on these occasions, with a few exceptions. Princess Anne, who was with the Queen as she died, looked stunning in her military attire – in this case, a ceremonial Royal Navy uniform (she is an admiral in the navy) – and numerous medals.
Prince Andrew, the Queen’s disgraced second son, will not wear military uniform to all pre-funeral events except one: the vigil at Westminster Hall. Andrew does this, it is said, to show special respect for his mother.
Andrew was stripped of all military titles following allegations by Jeffrey Epstein’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, that the prince sexually abused her when she was 17. The suit he will wear on Monday is also a symbol of shame.
Another member of the royal family who was stripped of all his military titles is Prince Harry, who was forced to part ways with them when he chose to step down from his role as a working member of the royal family in 2020.
Unlike Andrew, Harry has not been allowed to wear military uniform to any ceremonial mourning events for Elizabeth II. Harper’s Bazaar reports. Prominent UK royal commentators have already stepped in to criticize the palace’s decision.
“There are deplorable double standards here,” said Shola Mos-Shogbamimu Newsweek on Monday. “This is my point about the royal family being completely tone deaf and not reading the room as well as sending the wrong message. I’m thinking about Charles. Hasn’t he learned a thing or two about the backlash the Queen received for the way she defended Prince Andrew?
Prince Harry, for his part, appears to be trying to diffuse the drama. “Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex will wear a morning suit to events honoring his grandmother,” his spokesman said on Tuesday. “His decade of military service is not defined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that the focus remains on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
New reports indicate the royal women will wear black hats with lace, net or tulle veils obscuring their faces, also in line with long-enforced traditions, at the funeral on Monday. Little is known about the designers Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge will call upon for funeral gowns.
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla arrive at Hillsborough Castle in Belfast on September 13, 2022, during the new king’s visit to Northern Ireland.
Niall Carson/Pool/AFP via Getty
As for television journalists covering the Queen’s death, covering anchors on the BBC and other British media, American television anchors such as CBS’s Norah O’Donnell and NBC’s Savannah Guthrie are wearing all black as well. The Daily Beast reached out to NBC and CBS for comment.
On Sunday, William, Catherine, Harry and Meghan greeted members of the public in mourning outside Windsor Castle. The couples wore coordinating outfits: William and Harry both chose dark blue suits, while Meghan and Catherine both wore knee-length black dresses with black stockings and high black heels. For women, these outfits conform to the principles of royal protocol: no revealing ensembles are allowed and bare knees are strictly prohibited.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were also spotted outside Balmoral in knee-length black ensembles.
Another rule, which seems to have been tossed aside, is that royal women were instructed never to wear black outside of funerals and periods of mourning. Since Meghan, Catherine and indeed Princess Diana have been photographed many times wearing black evening gowns at non-funeral events, it is likely that this rule has informally lapsed.
Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise, Countess Sophie, Peter Phillips, Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew, Zara Phillips and Prince Edward greet members of the public gathered outside Balmoral Castle in Ballater on September 10.
Owen Humphreys/Pool/AFP via Getty
The royal family’s strict adherence to appropriate funeral attire can also be prominently linked to Queen Victoria, who wore black for the rest of her life, a total of 40 years, after her husband Prince Albert died in 1861. This dedication for her.
As globally visible arbiters of proper behavior and decorum, it’s also long been mandated that royals must bring a black ensemble with them wherever they travel in case of someone’s sudden death.
Lady Pamela Hicks, a lady-in-waiting to the late queen, recently revealed in a podcast that when Elizabeth’s father died suddenly while she was on a trip to Kenya in 1952, the future monarch had neglected to bring black clothing. . As a result, Hicks said, Elizabeth II had to wait on her plane after he returned to the UK to bring her a black dress so she wouldn’t be seen arriving in an inappropriate ensemble. “A black dress was quickly smuggled on board because we didn’t have a black dress,” Hicks explained. “So she quickly had to change.”
