Prince Harry appeared to forego wearing the medal marking his father’s coronation when he presented an award to a high-performing American soldier, according to eagle-eyed royal watchers.
The Duke of Sussex wore a variety of medals on his jacket as he named Combat Medic Sergeant 1st Class Elizabeth Marks Military Times Soldier of the Year, including three commemorating his grandmother’s various Jubilees this century.
However, noticeably absent from the 39-year-old’s lapels was the coronation medal given to him and others who took part in King Charles’ formal accession to the throne last May, which was also absent in a video filmed at late last year.
Royal experts believe the lack of honor could be a slight towards his father. The medals also match the ones Harry chose to wear when he attended the Coronation.
Harry was not allowed to attend last May’s festivities dressed as a military man after stepping away from royal duties; that privilege is reserved for working family members.
Prince Harry used a series of medals to present an American combat medic with the Soldier of the Year Award via video message.
The medals appear to be the same ones she wore at the coronation of her father, King Charles III, in May last year.
Harry’s medals (from left to right) included his Afghanistan service medal, as well as gold, diamond and platinum medals for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
King Charles III photographed on the day of his coronation in May last year. Royal experts believe the omission of the Coronation medal may have been a snub
The coronation medal features an effigy of King Charles and Queen Camilla on the front (left) and the royal cipher, CIIIR (Charles III Rex), on the rear.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has suggested that the absence of the medal could be a deliberate snub to King Charles III.
But he is believed to have been one of 400,000 recipients of the Coronation medal, which was minted for those who actively contributed to the Coronation ceremonies at Westminster Abbey and other processions.
The emblems were also awarded to serving members of the armed forces, frontline emergency services personnel and public correctional service personnel in recognition of their public service.
Living recipients of the George Cross and the Victoria Cross also received the ceremonial honour.
The absence of the medal on Harry’s chest, reported by news week and Sunsuggested to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams that he was deliberately trying to distance himself from his old life while making the United States his permanent home.
Commentator Mr Fitzwilliams told Newsweek: ‘Those eligible who participated in the coronation received a medal.
“The Sussexes do nothing by chance and this clearly emphasizes or is intended to emphasize their distancing from the royal family.”
He added to The Sun: ‘The Sussexes are very aware that everything they do, everything they wear, everything they say, will be scrutinized.
“The problem is that if he decides not to wear the coronation medal, it will surely be seen as a snub to King Charles.”
Representatives for the Duke of Sussex have been contacted for comment.
The Coronation medal bears an effigy of King Charles and Queen Camilla facing sideways on the front, and the King’s cipher, CIIIR (Charles III Rex), on the rear.
In the video, Harry was wearing the Operational Service medal he was awarded for his time in the armed forces in Helmand province.
She also wore the three jubilee medals to celebrate the gold, diamond and platinum jubilees of her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
He is believed to have worn the medals to show his affinity for the military, which played a key role in his early years as a senior royal, when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 and again in 2012.
Like the Duke’s other recent appearances, his Soldier of the Year award presentation appeared highly staged: Harry delivered a pre-recorded message from the back door of his Montecito mansion.
He paid tribute to Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks, whom he described as a “friend” and a “beacon of inspiration”, and congratulated her on the award.
Four-time Invictus Games gold medalist and five-time Paralympic medalist SFC Marks, 33, suffered bilateral hip injuries while deployed to Iraq in 2010, after joining up at just 17 years old.
Four-time Invictus Games gold medalist and five-time Paralympic medalist Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks, 33, (pictured) suffered bilateral hip injuries while deployed to Iraq in 2010, after joining at only 17 years old.
SFC Marks competed for Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (pictured)
She also collected meals at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 (pictured she won gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke).
Harry also opted not to wear his Coronation medal when he delivered a joke-filled monologue at the Stand Up for Heroes event for American veterans last November.
The Stand Up For Heroes crowd in New York last night to watch Prince Harry’s speech, which was full of jokes
Harry said at the ceremony: “I met Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks at the Invictus Games in Orlando 2016, where I presented her with not one, but four gold medals I had won in swimming.
‘To me, she embodies the courage, resilience and determination embodied throughout our service community. And this is not just due to her swimming skills.
‘Ellie has bravely overcome every obstacle that has come her way. She has turned her pain into purpose and guided through compassion and willpower, showing others that the impossible is truly possible.
“Despite the injuries she suffered during her deployment as a medical assistant in Iraq, along with numerous surgeries and setbacks that would have deterred many, she has tirelessly persevered, becoming the first woman in the Army’s world-class athlete program, as well as in the first swimmer the program had ever seen.
“She has also taken her recovery a step further, using her experiences and achievements to inspire and help others on their mental and physical journey into sport, ensuring that those who cannot see a way out are introduced to the sports medicine that saved her. also.’
SFC Marks used his speech to call for better mental health support for military veterans once they have finished their service.
She said: ‘I want to thank the people who failed me. I want to thank the people in leadership positions who showed me what I should not become.
‘Without you I would not have the perspective and empathy to see service members as they deserve.
‘Too often we treat those who ask for help as villains. We forget the promises we made and, therefore, suicide is the leading cause of death among our ranks.
‘Suicide is not killing our people. Negligence is. “There will never be a rank, a medal or an award that means more to me than the lives I failed to save.”
He added: ‘We are failing each other, before and after service. We have to do better.”
Harry did not wear the Coronation medal last year while filming a joke-filled monologue for Stand Up for Heroes in November, an annual variety show held in support of American veterans.
Harry was in good spirits as he made fun of himself during the show and joked that people with red hair like him were an “endangered species.”
In the speech, which also appeared to be filmed from his Montecito mansion, he made jokes about keeping it to script and threw an unexamined joke about his new life with his family in California.
Harry now officially considers the United States his primary residence, as the Mail first revealed earlier this month.
The change was declared in a change of address filed with Companies House for its eco-travel company Travalyst.