Prince Harry sparked outrage among supporters of the monarchy for not wearing the Coronation Medal presented by King Charles III during the Soldier of the Year award ceremony, according to the British Express newspaper.
Prince Harry offered a bizarre excuse
The youngest son of King Charles III chose not to wear a medal that had been presented to him at the coronation ceremony by his father. The Coronation Medal was awarded to all those who contribute and actively support the coronation of the new monarch, which took place on May 6 last year.
Despite not wearing the medal, Harry has worn four other British military medals. As the Daily Mail newspaper mentioned, citing a source from Prince Harry’s entourage, Harry’s decision was not an intentional rejection of his father.
The decision was instead due to the fact that the medal was mounted “in a swing system” (like a pendant on a chain) on a short ribbon and should have been sent to a specialist to be fixed on a longer ribbon.
Prince Harry has worn four other British medals
In a new video, Harry appears at the Soldier of the Year award ceremony for US Army medic Sergeant 1st Class Elizabeth Marks. Harry hailed her “courage, resilience and determination”.
Although the video shows the Coronation Medal missing from his smart black jacket, Harry was wearing four other military medals. On his chest was the Afghanistan Operational Service Medal – which he won in 2008 for his service in Helmand Province – the late Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, which was awarded in 2002 to all those who served on active duty for for five years, the former Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, which was awarded to members of the emergency services, armed forces, prison service and royal administration in 2012, and the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.
An extremely short visit
Harry came to the UK in May 2023 to attend his father’s historic Coronation ceremony.
Although he made the long journey from California to London, Harry’s visit was very short, leaving for the airport shortly after the ceremony.
Father-of-two Harry justified his hasty departure by saying he was anxious to get home to celebrate his son Archie’s birthday – which was on the same day as the Coronation.
His wife Meghan Markle remained in America with their children Archie – who turns five next week – and Lilibet, two.
Prince Harry will be back in London very soon
Harry is due to return to the UK next week for a special ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games in London.
The ceremony will take place at St Paul’s Cathedral on May 8, after which Prince Harry will fly to Nigeria with Meghan.
Meghan will not join Harry in the UK for the ceremony, with the two meeting in Nigeria.
