The heirs to the British throne, Prince Charles and Prince William, took the stage amid grandeur and procession at Tuesday’s opening of parliament, replacing 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth, who did not take part in the big scene with health problems.
When the Queen was forced to resign for the first time in almost 60 years, Charles stepped in to read the legislative agenda of the Palace of Westminster, the first time he had taken on a major constitutional role.
The Queen, the oldest and longest reigning monarch in the world, has been absent from almost every major public event in recent months. He was forced to skip his speech due to recurring movement problems.
Charles, who has attended the opening of parliament with his mother in recent years, wore an admiral’s uniform to read the agenda of the throne. As the Queen announces “The Will of My Government,” Prince Charles says, “His Majesty’s Government…”
The state opening of parliament is an event of great grandeur and spectacle, in which the queen traditionally travels to meet with the state coach, accompanied by soldiers in ceremonial uniforms, while the imperial state crown and other jewels travel aboard her car. Although.
The ceremony, which takes place in the spring or after the national elections, marks the centuries-old separation of powers between the Crown, the elected Second Chamber, the House of Lords and the judiciary.
The monarch wore a state cloak before leading the procession to the upper house, where he formally opened a new session of parliament, and read a speech written by the government outlining plans in the legislature.
She read the document in a formal and neutral tone to avoid feeling or disagreeing with politics, a procedure her son also adopted on Tuesday.
Charles, seated beside the queen’s crown and flanked by his eldest son William and his wife Camilla, delivered the speech to lawmakers and lords dressed in red ceremonial robes.
The queen has only missed the occasion twice during her 70-year reign – in 1959, and 1963, when she was pregnant with sons Andrew and Edward.
In order to authorize Charles and William to carry out the role on her behalf, the queen had to issue a ‘Letters Patent’. A palace source said no other functions had been delegated by Elizabeth.
The queen is next expected to be seen in public during four days of celebration in June to mark her Platinum Jubilee. Buckingham Palace said last week it planned to attend most major events during the celebrations, but its presence could only be confirmed later in the day.
