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Walking down the aisle with his fiancée, Prince Henry, Duke of Sussex, was dressed in a rather posh uniform, similar to that often worn by Nicholas II of Russia in the early 20th century. Was it a conscious decision or just a coincidence?
First of all, Nicholas II and Prince Harry are relatives: Harry is the great-grandson of George V (1865-1936), King of the United Kingdom (1910-1936), who was a cousin of Nicholas II.
What's the jacket?
The shape that today looks like Yamamoto's design is indeed over a hundred years old. This is the uniform of the Colonel in Chief of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the oldest surviving cavalry regiment of the line in the British Army. The current colonel of the regiment is Queen Elizabeth II (since her accession to the throne in 1952).
In 1894, Tsar Nicholas II was appointed first colonel of the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Sergeants). This appointment took place during the wedding celebrations of the king with Alexandra Feodorovna, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
(left to right): Alexandra Fedorovna, Russia; the infant Grand Duchess Olga; Nicholas II Alexandrovich Romanov, Tsar of Russia; Queen Victoria of England; and Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.
Tsar Nicholas was greatly impressed by the royal Scottish servats and wore all his uniform as commander-in-chief on various occasions including his visit with the Tsarina to Balmoral in 1896 (pictured).
The odd looking horizontal helmets on the uniform jacket are indeed a cavalry one-piece, inherited from the Hungarian national costumes that historically evolved into the uniform of the European cavalry.
Why did the Russian tsar wear the uniform of the English guard?
Nicholas II, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Scots "Grace", 1902. Emperor in full dress as Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Grays). Artist Valentin Serov.
Respect for the military corps by wearing its uniform is an old military tradition. In the Russian army, this was called "kindly with the uniform." For example, the Grand Dukes of Russia, who often served as colonel of various regiments throughout their lives, kept their uniforms to wear at honorable occasions.
In the same way, Nicholas II, a cousin of George V, was appointed an honorary colonel of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and remained so until he and his family were killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
European monarchs were also regiment colonels in the Russian imperial armies: Franz Joseph I of Austria was colonel in the regiment of the Colonel of the Kexholm Regiment in 1848-1914, and German Emperor Wilhelm II was even an admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy!
The article previously stated that Prince Harry's uniform was worn by the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Harry's uniform at the wedding is the standard blues and royalty frock coat, which looks almost identical to the royal uniform of the Scottish Dragoon Guards worn by Nicholas II. The Queen allowed Prince Harry to wear this particular uniform at the royal wedding.
author Women's Magazine