Queen absent

The Queen will not attend the opening of Parliament today for the first time in nearly 60 years, as she struggles with mobility difficulties. Buckingham Palace said in a statement yesterday that the decision was made in consultation with her doctors and that the 96-year-old had “reluctantly” decided not to attend. Prince Charles will read her speech, while for the first time her grandson Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, will have an official role in the event. It will mark only the third time during her reign that Elizabeth has not opened Parliament. She previously missed the opening in 1959, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew, and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Edward.