On Tuesday, Prince Charles replaced his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and took on his first major constitutional duty of the British Monarchy.
Prince Charles delivers Queen’s Speech
73-year-old Prince Charles took center stage and read the Queen‘s Speech announcing Prime Minister Boris Johnson‘s government’s legislative agenda at the opening of parliament.
Britain’s heir-to-the-throne was joined by his son, Prince William, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in a royal procession.
The event, known for its centuries-old ritual and extravagant British pageantry, was held at the Palace of Westminster in front of government leaders and the opposition.
Prince Charles arrived dressed in full military regalia and left many surprised by sitting on the ceremonial throne reserved for the sovereign in power.
Prince Charles read the 38 bills that the ministers intend to pass this year.
Prince Charles says Boris Johnson’s government will grow the economy
In the Queen’s Speech, Charles, Prince of Wales, explained that the government will help “grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families.”
The Bills include measures that will tackle a wide range of issues. A Data Reform Bill meant for the post-Brexit era will create new data protection and eliminate the European Union regulations.
A Public Order Bill is set to provide new police powers over unruly protests. A Trade Bill will launch new trade deals with Australia and New Zealand.
A Modern Slavery Bill aims to force all companies making more than £36m ($44 million) per year to publish a statement proving that they are making substantial efforts to prevent modern slavery among their suppliers.
Queen Elizabeth missed big moment over health concerns
96-year-old Queen Elizabeth was not able to attend the ceremony due to health issues, according to the following statement issued by Buckingham Palace: “The Queen continues to experience episodic mobility problems and, in consultation with her doctors, has reluctantly decided that she will not attend the State Opening of Parliament tomorrow. At Her Majesty’s request, and with the agreement of the relevant authorities, The Prince of Wales will read the Queen’s speech on Her Majesty’s behalf, with The Duke of Cambridge also in attendance.”
This is only the third time in her 70-year reign that Her Majesty has bowed from delivering the speech that opens a new session of parliament.
Queen Elizabeth could not carry out the task in 1959 and 1963 because she was pregnant with sons Andrew and Edward.
Since October 2021, Queen Elizabeth, who was briefly hospitalized for an undisclosed medical illness and to undergo a battery of tests, has been forced to annul multiple public engagements.
Queen Elizabeth issued a Letters Patent authorizing Prince Charles and Prince William to carry out her role at the constitutional event.
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The trip to the hospital pushed the Queen to cancel a scheduled trip to Northern Ireland. While minor, Queen Elizabeth’s medical health conditions have led her to skip the COP26 summit in Glasgow.
She could not make an appearance at the wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph. In February 2022, the Monarch was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was fortunate enough to only experience “mild cold-like symptoms .”
However, her battle with the coronavirus has left her with lingering mobility issues.
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The Queen revealed that she has been feeling some pain in her back, knees, and hips.
In April 2022, Queen Elizabeth made it possible for the British people and supporters of the royal family worldwide to breathe a collective sigh of relief by attending the thanksgiving ceremony for her late husband, Prince Philip.
Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by her son, Andrew, used a walking cane to get around Westminster Abbey.
However, this week, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth would not appear at this summer’s garden parties.
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Queen Elizabeth could miss Platinum Jubilee celebrations
In another statement, the Palace revealed that the Queen would decide on the day whether she would make appearances at her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
However, she is expected to appear at Trooping the Colour and a church service at St Pauls’s Cathedral with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
A Palace spokesman said: “The Queen is looking forward to the weekend and will be taking part in the celebrations, but her presence will not be confirmed until much nearer the time or even on the day itself.”
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Queen Elizabeth‘s advanced age, her mobility issues, and her decisions to pull from multiple key engagements in the past six months have sparked chatter that she might be forced to abdicate.
Clive Irving, the founding editor of The Sunday Times‘ Insight investigative journalism team, told The Daily Beast that the Queen might end her reign after the Jubilee.
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Will Queen Elizabeth abdicate after Platinum Jubilee?
The author of The Last Queen said that the Queen will pull the levy on the Regency Act of 1937 — which is a rule that states who steps in when the Monarch is “temporarily absent from the realm or experiencing an illness that did not amount to legal incapacity.”
Irving shared: “I think the issue genuinely is mobility, not something more medically troubling. But the point is that her absence at the State Opening of Parliament is not unprecedented, but the resolution to her absence—the use of the Regency Act—is. But this hasn’t been done on behalf of the sovereign, like the last time we had a regency, in 1811. This was the Sovereign laying down the rules. It’s another slow and gradual move in a transition that has seen Charles taking on more and more, which actually began nine years ago when he traveled to Sri Lanka to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting there.”
He added: “It’s critical to grasp a point that gets easily overlooked because there is so little precedent to guide it: She does not have to die in the saddle, like Victoria, after a rapid decline. There is nothing in the protocols to say that. So the same thing would be to have her abdicate. The use of the Regency Act is the first step towards abdication, which, I suspect, will happen once the Jubilee is over.”
According to AP, a Palace source has confirmed that “no other functions had been delegated” by Queen Elizabeth.
On Friday, a beaming and amused Queen Elizabeth made a surprise appearance at the Windsor Horse Show and was able the calm those nervous about her health and her capacity to perform her royal functions.
