Prince felt weight of sovereignty on throne COMMENT
YESTERDAY we were treated to a vision of the future – reassuring, calm, dignified and apt.
The man who would be King Charles III passed his test with flying colours, providing a timely reminder of the dignity of royalty.
Over the past two years, the royal house has been assailed by drama and scandal to the point where its primary role – to lead the country on moments of national importance – was nearly forgotten.
Seated on the Consort’s Throne, delivering his lines in measured and solemn tones, the king-inwaiting set that to rights, showing us what to expect of him.
Arrayed with decorations over his uniform of Admiral of the Fleet, he chose to wear the sash of the Order of the Thistle, a courtly gesture to Scotland which he will hope was noted north of the border.
Camilla, dressed in demure navy blue with a splash of white embroidery across her middle, was assigned a State Chair in a lesser position, though one day she’ll sit beside her husband when he comes to Parliament to deliver his first King’s Speech.
William, in a sombre morning coat, followed the couple as they processed through to the House of Lords, an acknowledgement of his key role in the national life in coming years.
Wisely, some felt, he’d left Kate at home, as her presence may have caused too much of a distraction on this key moment for Charles.
The ancient ceremony was all we expect from a thousand years of accumulated royal history – all scarlet and gold with extravagant uniforms and elaborate ritual, a spectacle unequalled anywhere else in the world.
The Queen’s state crown, carried on an embroidered cushion by the Marquess of Cholmondely, was a touching reminder that she is still very much with us.
If the first glimpse of Charles, as he emerged from the Rolls Royce by Westminster, was of a man who looked nervous, by the time he delivered the Queen’s Speech – its words put together by the Government, we must remember – he was calm and assured.
And one could picture the realisation dawning on him that his days of political intervention were numbered – no more black-spider memos for Cabinet ministers, or lobbying for his special causes, or secret arrangements with politicians.
It was as if the heavy weight of sovereignty had finally been laid on his shoulders.
He wore it well, and we wish him well – when his time comes.
work.While we must keep our public finances on a sustainable footing – and we cannot completely shield people from the fallout from global events – where we can help, we will. Over the coming months we will continue examining what more we can do to ease the pressures on hard-working people and families.”
In his address to MPs, the Prime Minister said: “At the same time as we help people, we need the legislative firepower to fix the underlying problems in energy supply, in housing, in infrastructure and in skills which are driving up costs for families across the country.
“This Queen’s Speech takes those issues head on. Above all, we are tackling the economic challenges with the best solution of all and that is an ever-growing number of high-wage, high-skill jobs.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs. And we drive up employment by creating the right platform for business to invest, making our streets safer, 20,000 more police, creating a healthier population, 50,000 more nurses, funding the NHS to help them clear the Covid backlogs and giving the confidence that people know that they will be looked after in old age by fixing social care.
“Delivering gigabit broadband, giving the remotest parts of the country the access that they need, and using our Brexit freedoms to enable revolutionary technologies like gene editing to help our farmers grow more nutritious and more productive crops.”
Mr Johnson pledged: “It’s that combination of public and private sector together that is tackling unemployment with half a million people more on the payroll [than] before the pandemic.”
Key measures include a Brexit Freedoms Bill to wipe away Brussels regulations left from EU membership that act as a drag on UK businesses. Other plans include a Levelling Up Bill to help revitalise town centres and education bills to improve access to skills training.
BORIS Johnson exuded confidence yesterday as he set out the Government’s agenda for the new parliamentary session and hinted that further action was coming to address the cost-of-living crisis.
The Prime Minister said the country has the “fiscal firepower to help families up and down the land” and pledged that the Chancellor “will be saying more on this in the days to come”.
The scale of public concern demands that Mr Johnson addresses soaring prices. He will also understand that the use of fiscal firepower must be coupled with fiscal responsibility.
The UK needs to deal with its postpandemic debt and vital public services – in particular the NHS and social care – are in great need of investment.
The best minds in Downing St and the Treasury will be debating how to use limited funds to intervene to protect British families in a global crisis. The most serious pressure points will soon become clear and we can expect strategic moves in the autumn.
When Boris Johnson won the keys to No 10, secured a landslide and delivered Brexit, he would not have imagined that the rest of his premiership would be defined by the pandemic and its aftermath. But there is positivity and ambition in his programme for government; despite the headwinds, the PM is pushing forward with gusto.