He may be languishing in a lowly sixth place on the throne, but all eyes were on Prince Harry this afternoon as he and his brother William came together to lead a vigil of the Queen’s eight grandchildren before his coffin on Saturday afternoon.

The gesture represented a gender-blind update on the so-called “Princes’ Vigil” established after the death of George VI, and was the palace’s last determined effort to show unity between the brothers.

In what has been widely interpreted as an effort to show that Harry was not mistreated by the Crown, he was allowed to wear his military uniform despite no longer being an active member of the services.

Harry was initially told he would not be allowed to wear the uniform during the events surrounding his grandmother’s death, but the rules were changed on Friday to allow him to wear the uniform at the wake. He is expected to wear a morning suit to the Queen’s state funeral on Monday.

Legally in the UK, only serving members of the forces are permitted to wear uniform, but exemptions may be granted.

However, the Palace was adamant not to suggest such a pass would be extended to Harry, who eventually issued a statement that seemed to grudgingly accept that fact and draw a line under it. It read: ‘Prince Harry will wear a morning suit throughout the events in honor of his grandmother. His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully request that the focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Inevitably, questions will now be asked as to why Harry, who served actively in Afghanistan, cannot wear the uniform on Monday.

Harry and William were joined by the Queen’s six other grandchildren; Andrew’s children, Beatrice and Eugenie, Anne’s children, Zara and Peter, and Edward’s children, Lady Louise and Viscount James.

In slightly surreal scenes, the public, many of whom looked disheveled after queuing until 3 p.m. to view the coffin and pay their respects, continued to file past as the grandchildren held their 15-minute vigil.

Harry looked grim as he stood darkly with his head bowed.

He and William stood at opposite ends of the coffin facing outward. None of the grandchildren made eye contact with others during the wake or while entering and leaving Westminster Hall.

Royal biographer and writer Christopher Andersen told The Daily Beast: “Harry admitted that when he walked behind his mother’s coffin – through a ‘tunnel of grief’ as Early Spencer called it – he wondered why people were crying in the streets when they never even knew Diane.Harry has also previously said that just being in London is a ‘trigger’, so in a sense he’s going to suffer from PTSD symptoms over the course of It’s going to be harder for William and Harry than people might imagine, as, on some level, they’ll be reliving their mother’s tragic death and its aftermath.

Béatrice and Eugénie released a statement shortly before the start of the vigil in the form of an address to their “grandmother”.

“You were our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our back guiding us through this world. You taught us so much and we will cherish those lessons and memories forever. For now dear grandma, all that we want to say, it’s thank you. Thank you for making us laugh, for including us, for picking heather and raspberries, for parading the soldiers, for our teas, for the comfort, for the You, being you, will never know the impact you have had on our family and on so many people around the world.