The Prince of Wales will read the Queen’s Speech as the monarch misses the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in almost 60 years.
The Queen, 96, pulled out of the ceremonial occasion – when she reads out the Government’s legislative programme for the forthcoming parliamentary session – as she continued to experience “episodic mobility problems”.
In her absence, Charles will take on the head of state’s major constitutional duty in a the move which will be interpreted as a significant shift in his responsibilities as a king-in-waiting. The Duke of Cambridge, also a future monarch, will attend the State Opening, the first time he has done so, with the royal function of opening a new parliament delegated to both Charles and William by the Queen.
