Peter Hunt

King Charles should let Harry back into the fold

First, it was a flagpole. Back in 1997, inside the Windsor bubble based at Balmoral – where the priority was two princes whose mother had just died – it made complete and utter sense for no flag to fly at Buckingham Palace. Protocol dictated one didn’t have the Union Jack at half-mast at the institution’s headquarters.

Those mourning Diana, Princess of Wales, and those writing the newspaper headlines didn’t give a fig for protocol. The passions being displayed on the streets of London prompted headlines such as ‘Show Us You Care’ and ‘Where Is Our Queen? Where Is Her Flag’? And in the end the tabloid keyboard warriors delivered a visible Queen and a flagpole that was bare no longer.

Twenty-five years on, King Charles has demonstrated he’s learnt some of the lessons from that very difficult week in the Queen’s life. He’s already ushered in a more emotionally literate reign. He’s comfortable being hugged and kissed by well-wishers with the impact of his grief visible on his face. His mother, one of her close relatives once told me, was of a generation that kept their feelings buried and viewed displaying them in public as a failure.

Charles has already ushered in a more emotionally literate reign

However, protocol continues to retain the power to make the monarchy appear out of step. The rules dictate that uniforms are for working royals. Simples, as Orlov, the marketing meerkat is given to declare.

Prince Andrew doesn’t view it as so straightforward. With the prospect diminishing as each second passes of the Falklands veteran ever cutting another ribbon, the prince clearly bent his brother’s ear and a compromise was hatched. Andrew will wear a uniform when he joins his siblings as they pay homage to their mother at a vigil in Westminster Hall.

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Written by
Peter Hunt
Peter Hunt is a commentator on the monarchy and constitutional issues. He is a former BBC diplomatic and royal correspondent. He tweets at @_PeterHunt

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