The Queen’s Speech is delivered by Prince Charles for the first time
It was the first time in over six decades that Queen Elizabeth was absent from a major ceremonial occasion like the inauguration of parliament when Prince Charles and Prince William assumed the lead.
Charles, 73, has arrived at the Palace of Westminster to spell out the government’s legislative agenda after the Queen was forced to withdraw owing to a return of mobility concerns on Monday.
“Her majesty’s government will….” Charles began reading each law, which he had attended parliament with his mother in recent years.
Those in the House of Lords chamber were split on whether Charles would stand in front of or sit next to a ceremonial throne before the event took place. There was loud disbelief as he came and seated down on the throne.
As a result, individuals who had tickets to sit in the House of Lords were issued with a programme that had not been revised to reflect the fact that Queen Elizabeth II would not be attending.
Queen Elizabeth II is escorted by mounted troops in ceremonial costume as she arrives to Parliament in a State Coach, as the Imperial State Crown and other regalia arrive ahead of her in a separate carriage.
Royal procession to House of Lords upper chamber, where king begins parliament by delivering speech drafted by administration explaining legislative goals and announcing new term.
Only in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with her sons Andrew and Edward, did the queen miss the event.
A ‘Letters Patent’ was issued by the queen, who has missed many public events since she was hospitalised for a night in October for an unclear illness, to allow Prince Charles and Prince William to perform her duties at the constitutional ceremony.
The “Partygate” issue continues to hound British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the time of the event. – Boris Johnson As the police investigate whether or not he breached Covid regulations during an election campaigning event, opposition leader Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he will step down from his post if penalised. Johnson has already accepted and paid a fine of this type, known as a “fixed-penalty notice,” which was given to him. As a result of the participation of Starmer, there are now major doubts about whether or not Johnson should resign as Prime Minister.
As they make their way from the Commons to the Lords after the Queen’s Speech, the leaders of the government and opposition get a chance to put their differences aside and have a friendly talk. There were few words passed between Starmer and Johnson, who kept their eyes firmly concentrated on the road ahead.