Queen to dress down for state opening of parliament

LONDON: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II will not wear her imperial crown or robes to the next state opening of parliament for the first time in more than 40 years.

As well as sporting a “day dress” and hat, she will also break with tradition by arriving in an official car, as opposed to a carriage with full military escort.

Her crown – weighing almost 1kg and containing 2 868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires and 17 emeralds – will be carried into the Houses of Parliament, along with the ceremonial sword of state and cap of maintenance, as symbols of her authority. However, she will not wear it.

The decision will spark speculation that the monarch, who turned 91 last week, is keen to scale down ceremonial and state occasions in view of her advancing years. But royal aides insisted the decision was because of Theresa May’s snap general election on June 8.

As a result, the state opening of parliament has been hurriedly arranged for June 19, two days after Trooping the Colour, the annual celebration of the queen’s official birthday.

It was deemed unfeasible and unrealistic to stage two major events in such a short period of time.

Both events feature the monarch in a carriage procession accompanied by an escort from the Household Cavalry Regiment, with hundreds of servicemen acting as street liners.

With the loss of the procession, the decision was taken to scale back other ceremonial elements such as the queen’s attire. – Daily Mail