Senior male royals broke with tradition and did not wear military uniforms to Prince Philip's funeral

• Senior royals broke tradition by not wearing military uniforms to Prince Philip's funeral.
• The male members of the family instead wore morning coats and medals.
• The decision reportedly spared Prince Harry from not being allowed to wear a uniform.

Senior male members of the royal family did not wear military uniforms while mourning Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, at his funeral on Saturday, April 17.

This break in tradition saw the men wearing morning coats and medals as they walked behind Philip's coffin to the service that took place in St George's Chapel, Windsor.

The Guardian reports that the decision was made to equalize members of the family in light of Prince Harry stepping back as a senior royal in March 2020 and giving up his honorary military titles, as he faced being one of the only male senior royals not wearing a uniform.

Meanwhile, Prince Andrew stepped back from working as a senior royal following a "car-crash" BBC Newsnight interview about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019.

The Guardian added that Andrew was set to be promoted from an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy to the rank of admiral in 2020, but this did not go ahead after his widely criticized interview with BBC Newsnight.

According to The Times of London, Prince Andrew had already made a request to a tailor to begin work on a new admiral's uniform but he did not persist with his request to wear one.

A source told the publication: "The Duke of York is very keenly aware of Saturday's funeral being a moment for the Duke of Edinburgh, HM, and the nation. He has neither wish nor intention to distract from that. Speculation on what he may or may not wear is just that, speculation, and no matters of this nature have yet been decided upon."

Instead, the family wore medals that denote both active service and a high-ranking order as they walked behind the coffin in a procession from Windsor Castle to the chapel.

A representative for the Duke of Sussex confirmed to Insider that he wore the KCVO Neck Order and Star, Afghanistan Campaign medal, and the Queen's Gold and Diamond Jubilee Medals, awarded to mark her 50th and 60th year on the throne respectively.

The Sun reported that Prince Andrew wore a South Atlantic Medal 1982 with Rosette for his service in the Falklands War as a pilot, and the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal and Golden Jubilee Medal. He also sported the New Zealand Commemoration Medal, which he was awarded in 1990.

It is not just male members of the family who wore medals. Princess Anne wore the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal from the Royal Navy, as well as the Queen's Service Order from New Zealand, the Coronation Medal, the Silver Jubilee Medal, the Golden Jubilee Medal, and other honors.