GettyToday is the day we pay our respects to those who gave their lives so we could enjoy ours, a solemn day, so it’s quite sad to share the news Prince Harry has done something silly while appearing at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday.
The 33-year-old – now sixth in line to the throne – retired from active military service two years ago, but has caused offence with his appearance at the Remembrance Sunday parade.
It’s only been six weeks since Prince Harry was pulled up for doing something royals shouldn’t do, when he was caught on camera holding hands with his significant other, Meghan Markle.
So what’s got everyone’s goat this time?
GettyHarry took part in the memorial service at the Cenotaph as a senior Blues and Royals officer with his prominent ginger facial hair, the Mirror reports.
A serving member of the elite cavalry regiment said:
Prince Harry is letting us all down. There’s no place for beards in the Queen’s cavalry. He should have shaved it off for such an important day.
Come on Harry, shave it off, if not for your nan’s sake but for tradition and that. I reckon he’s got a fair point?
If you’re gonna do pomp and circumstance, you want to do it properly without ginger beards, or any beards to be fair. Not being gingerist or beardist, it’s just, them’s the rules.
GettyBritish army rules forbid all beards, unless in rare circumstances such as when a soldier may be suffering from skin complaints or has strong religious beliefs to adhere to which concern facial hair – for example Sikhs are not allowed to cut their hair.
Special Forces or those on covert operations may grow beards while behind enemy lines, however, they’d not be permitted to wear them on parade – especially on a day you could class essentially, as the definition of home turf – the Cenotaph is less than a mile from Buckingham Palace.
A tradition exists which allows a small number of Pioneer Sergeants to wear a beard on duty, but members of the Queen’s personal guard have never been given this permission.
Harry’s grandmother is Colonel-in-Chief of the Blues and Royals and his aunt, Princess Anne, is Colonel of the Regiment.
PAThe Royal Navy, in which Harry’s dad, Prince Charles served, allows beards, but officers are told to shave them off if they aren’t full enough. Now that’s a bit beardist.
Harry’s previous faux pas happened while in Toronto attedning the Invictus Games.
The young couple celebrated the fantastic resilience of the veterans who took up a paraplegic sporting career after suffering life-changing injuries.
Yet no one could stop talking about their hand-holding, all because they apparently broke some archaic unwritten royal rule.
PA A rule Harry’s elder brother, Prince William, has had the social skills not to fall foul of.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reportedly make a conscious effort not to hold hands at official public engagements to maintain professionalism while at work.
The founder of Beaumont Etiquette, Myka Meier told People:
The likely reasoning is more that while travelling on a tour such as the India trip, technically the couple are working representatives of British Monarchy.
The couple are likely to show very little PDA, if any, to remain professional during their designated roles abroad.
Come on Harry, you’re giving all us little brothers around the world a bad name.
Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.