Before his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, succeeded to the British throne in 1952, Prince Philip was a decorated naval veteran who served in the Royal Navy. However, none of the royal family members attending his funeral at Windsor Castle this weekend will be dressed in their service uniforms, a conspicuous departure from custom.

The Queen has saved Prince Harry’s blushes by requiring that no royals attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in military dress, according to The Sun.

After losing his honorary title, the Duke of Sussex faced the embarrassing possibility of becoming the only senior male in the royal family wearing civvies.

The decision was taken in order to show an united family front at today’s beautifully choreographed ceremony at Windsor Castle, and defies centuries of royal practice.

The 94-year-old monarch’s decision came after heated debate about who could wear military uniform.

The Duke of York’s demand to go as an Admiral despite his elevation to that level having been postponed after he stood down from public duty in November 2019 due to his association with accused paedophile Jeffrey Epstein also sparked a row.

“Members of the Royal family will be wearing morning coat with medals or day dress,” a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday. “That’s to say, members of the Royal family will not be in military uniform .”

A”all the arrangements have been signed off by Her Majesty. That’s all there is to say,” the spokesperson said.

Insiders say the Queen directly intervened in the preparation of Saturday’s funeral, recommending that all senior male royals wear suits and ties.

“It’s the most eloquent solution to the problem,” a military source told The Sun.

When Harry, 36, left royal service with wife Meghan, he was deprived of his three military titles.

At royal ceremonies, the Duke, who served with the Blues and Royals in Afghanistan twice, will now only don a suit with medals, according to royal etiquette.

Harry has been staying in the United States with his wife, Meghan, and their baby, Archie, who is unable to return to Britain for the funeral due to her pregnancy.

Last month, the pair gave an explosive CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they discussed ethnic hostility in their family and their problems with constant tabloid coverage. Meghan admitted that she had suicidal feelings and that the palace could not provide her with enough care. She also said that prior to the birth of their son Archie, the family discussed “how dark his skin might be.”

Although some see the funeral as a chance for the fractured families to come together through mourning and ease tensions, British media claimed Friday that the bond between brothers William and Harry, who haven’t been seen in public together in over a year, has never been more tense.

The Sun, a British newspaper, headlined a report stating that the two princes will be kept separate at the funeral as “brothers at arm’s length.” The front page of the Daily Telegraph read, “Brothers will not walk side by side in procession from Windsor Castle.” According to the Daily Mail, the brothers will walk behind the duke’s coffin on Saturday with their older cousin, Peter Phillips, in between them.