Queen to skip Parliament opening for the first time in decades

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the opening of Parliament on Tuesday for the first time in nearly 60 years, as she struggles with difficulties in getting around.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement Monday 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.

“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,’‘ the palace said in a statement.

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.