Prince Harry included a subtle reference to his service in the military in a recent statement. The senior title he was stripped of earlier this year after the Sussexes’ split from the royal family was confirmed as permanent.
Paying tribute to his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away last week at the age of 99, Prince Harry ended his touching statement with the Latin phrase used by the Royal Marines: “Per Mare, Per Terram.”
The phrase — which is translated as “by sea, by land” — referenced the connection Prince Philip and Prince Harry shared as a result of their active service in the military.
According to news editor Camilla Tominey, it could also be a subtle reference to the fact he reached a higher position in the military than his older brother and future king, Prince William.
Others see it as a dig at Queen Elizabeth II, who stripped him of his titles after stepping down from his royal duties.
While Prince William was part of the Royal Air Force, he never served on the front line as his younger brother did.
Prince Harry went to Afghanistan in 2007, where he spent a year with the military, and later returned in 2012.
In 2017, when the Duke of Edinburgh retired from his public duties, the title of Captain-General of the Royal Marines was passed on to Prince Harry — a title he retained until stepping back from being a senior working member of the royal family last year.
Queen Elizabeth put Harry’s military titles on hold following the Sussexes’ departure from the UK but permanently removed them in February of this year after the arrangements were reported to be final.
Tominey says Prince Harry has “made no secret” about being disappointed by the outcome and said the iconic Latin phrase might have been included in his statement as a way of indicating that, like his grandfather, he was engaged in active military service despite no longer holding his titles.
The royal expert explained: “Having made no secret of the fact that he was disappointed not to be able to maintain his military ties, the inclusion of the four-word Latin phrase appeared designed to tell the world that while he may no longer be a working royal, like his grandfather, he will forever remain one who saw active service. ”
Prince Harry shared his statement as he and his uncle, Prince Andrew, were trying to convince The Queen to let them wear their military uniforms at the funeral.
Queen Elizabeth II has decided to solve the matter in a swift manner — she has banned all royals from wearing military uniforms at husband Prince Philip’s funeral.
As stated previously, Prince Harry insisted that he wears military garb despite being forced to give up his honorary ranks.
As for Andrew, he angered members of the royal family and members of the Navy by begging his mother to let him wear an admiral’s uniform.
Andrew, who became persona non grata after his ties to late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein‘s sex scandal were exposed, went as far as visiting a tailor and requesting that they start making him a new uniform for his father’s funeral.
The drama that Harry and his uncle created pushed the Queen to announce that all males will wear morning suits with medals.
A military source told the Sun: “It’s the most eloquent solution to the problem.”
A royal insider added: “It’s looking increasingly likely [that] all the male members of the family will be told to wear suits to avoid any embarrassment on the day.”
Observers say peace is still far for Prince Harry and his family.
