Queen to miss State Opening of Parliament
Prince Charles to read speech on monarch’s behalf owing to ‘episodic mobility problems’
THE QUEEN will miss the State Opening of Parliament today for the first time in almost 60 years as she continues to experience “episodic mobility problems”.
The Prince of Wales will read the Queen’s Speech on her behalf, the first time he has taken on such a major constitutional duty, Buckingham Palace announced last night.
It is only the third time that the Queen has missed the event during her reign, but is the first time Letters Patent have been used to hand the responsibility to another Royal family member.
The move will be interpreted as a significant shift in Prince Charles’s responsibilities as heir to the throne. The Duke of Cambridge will also accompany him as second in line to the throne.
Buckingham Palace said: “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.
“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.”
It is not yet known whether the wording of the speech will be altered to reflect that the Prince is reading it on behalf of his mother, who traditionally refers to “my government”.
On the two previous occasions that the Queen was absent and the speech was read by the Lord Chancellor, changes were not made and it was delivered in Her Majesty’s own words.
Some 38 pieces of proposed legislation will be announced in the Queen’s Speech – more than the preceding year – as Boris Johnson looks to move on from heavy local election losses.
In a statement last night, the Prime Minister said: “This Queen’s Speech will get our country back on track, and I will strive – and this Government will strive – night and day to deliver it.
“Because, in spite of everything we have been through, we are going to ensure that over the two years we have left in this Parliament, we spend every second uniting and levelling up this country, exactly as we said we would.”
Mr Johnson will recommit to hardhitting reforms to protest law despite sizeable opposition from the House of Lords, announcing a new Bill to drive through the changes.
If enacted, protesters who lock themselves to buildings face up to six months in jail while those who disrupt key national infrastructure, such as railways and airports, could be jailed for a year. Both could face unlimited fines.
It is an attempt by ministers to curb the impact of so-called “guerrilla protests” launched by environmental groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil.
The Daily Telegraph can also disclose that new measures will be announced to force P&O and other ferry companies to pay staff on board ships the UK minimum wage. The proposal would create a legal obligation on ports to make sure vessels that arrive, which could also include cruise ships and tankers, pay minimum wage to staff, with sanctions for ports and UK shipping operators who disobey the rules.
Other expected announcements will be dropped as part of a new Downing Street push to focus on Tory policies, meaning the foie gras and fur imports ban will be ditched.
The speech is not expected to include new measures to tackle the cost of living, despite Tory strategists warning it will be the dominant issue at the next general election.
Any changes to taxation levels and spending will have to wait until the autumn Budget, according to Treasury sources – though Mr Johnson hopes other non-fiscal moves can be announced sooner.
However, the Prime Minister will talk about the scale of the cost of living challenge and the need to help those affected in his speech.
Mr Johnson is expected to say: “We will get the country through the aftershocks of Covid, just as we got through Covid, with every ounce of ingenuity and compassion and hard work ... by urgently pressing on with our mission to create the high-wage, high-skilled jobs that will drive economic growth across our whole United Kingdom.
“That is the long-term, sustainable solution to ease the burden on families and businesses.”
There have been many moments in the last few years of royal news that have been described as “unprecedented”. Some have been unexpected, some have been dramatic.
This, however, might be truly worthy of the description.
The Queen’s reluctant decision to not only miss the State Opening of Parliament, but delegate her duties to her two heirs, has no parallel.
True, it is not the first time the Queen has missed the State Opening in her 70 years on the throne.
In 1959 and 1963, she was also absent, heavily pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively. On both occasions, via an obscure but simple Plan B mechanism dating back to at least Henry VIII, the Lord Chancellor read the speech through the authority of a “royal commission” made up of five Privy Counsellors.
In 1929 and 1935, when George V was too ill to attend, the Lord Chancellor read the speech.
In 1951, the only time the Queen’s father missed it through illness, it was the same.
This time, on the very day she became the third longest-serving monarch in recorded world history, the Queen chose a different route.
Her son and heir the Prince of Wales will read the speech on her behalf, with the Duke of Cambridge present, not just for the optics and air of moral support but to make it constitutionally sound. Their joint appearance will be made possible through Letters Patent under the Regency Act 1937, authorised by the Queen to give them the power to open a new session of Parliament on her behalf in their roles as Counsellors of State.
Those roles, little known until very recently, have sprung to unusual public attention in recent months. There are four: Prince Charles, William, Harry and Andrew.
With the latter two indisposed for very different reasons, Prince Charles and Prince William will today act with the Queen’s specific, delegated authority to keep the country running.
With the Imperial State Crown before them, likely placed on a table as it has been for the Queen in recent years as the weight proved too much for her, father and son will jointly open Parliament.
The Prince of Wales will wear his Admiral of the Fleet uniform, while the Duke is expected to wear morning coat.
To say it would not have been a decision taken lightly is an understatement.
This is no bowing out of a garden party, or even missing a beloved Remembrance Sunday ceremony.
For the Queen, duty has been and remains everything: to watch her heir deliver her speech on a Windsor Castle television will be an experience she could not have foreseen even a year ago. The only time a Prince of Wales has previously read the monarch’s speech, according to a recent House of Commons document about the State Opening, was in the Regency of 1811-20 when the future George IV read the “Prince Regent’s Speech”.
The current Prince of Wales has already taken on many of the Queen’s duties, as she reaches 96 with
‘To watch her heir deliver her speech is an experience the Queen could not have foreseen even a year ago’
unreliable mobility. But this is the most visible, and most significant yet.
Whispers about Prince Charles stepping in have been in the parliamentary ether for some time. In the event, the decision was confirmed with less than 24 hours to spare.
Letters Patent, previously used when the Queen was overseas to allow crown business to continue, were last issued when the Queen was in Malta in 2016. This newest one was formalised last night.
Its effect will be remarkable, transforming the Queen’s absence from an unfortunate but one-off illness to the sight of a Royal family working together to support her in her Platinum Jubilee year.
Her throne will remain empty, with the Prince and Duke taking seats on either side.
For most watching, it will seem the natural step along the well-trodden path of recent years. The Prince, gradually, is stepping up to allow his mother the comfort she deserves.
Without the pressure of a televised formal ceremony, it is hoped the Queen will recuperate enough to enjoy her Jubilee.
The message is clear: her eldest son and grandson can be relied upon, and