The Queen of England has only been able to deliver the speech outlining the government’s priorities twice since 1952, when she was pregnant. Prince Charles will replace her on Tuesday.
Elizabeth II delivered her last throne speech in 2021.
AFP
Queen Elizabeth II will be absent on Tuesday for the Speech from the Throne in Parliament, a solemn appointment of British democracy, and will be replaced by Prince Charles, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday evening, referring to the “problems of mobility” of the monarch. “The Queen continues to have episodic mobility issues and, following consultation with her doctors, has reluctantly decided not to take part in the Speech from the Throne,” the palace said.
It is the first time in more than 60 years that the 96-year-old Queen will not read the Speech from the Throne, written by the government to outline its priorities. It is also the first time that Prince Charles, heir to the crown, will replace her. Queen Elizabeth II missed this appointment only twice during her reign, when she was pregnant, in 1959 and 1963.
“At the request of Her Majesty and with the agreement of the competent authorities, the Prince of Wales will read the Speech from the Throne on her behalf, with the Duke of Cambridge (Prince William, grandson of the Queen, editor’s note) also present “, said the palace.
New step
This absence, the year of the platinum jubilee celebrations for her 70 years on the throne, marks a new symbolic stage in the gradual transfer of the sovereign’s tasks to Prince Charles, who has already represented her abroad for several years.
“The Queen continues to have episodic mobility issues and has reluctantly decided not to take part in the Speech from the Throne.”
Since a brief hospitalization in October, Elizabeth II’s appearances have become extremely rare, although she continues to carry out “light duties” at Windsor Castle, mostly by videoconference. On March 29, however, she attended a religious ceremony in honor of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey. It was his first major public appearance in months.
The monarch, seen with a cane in recent months, had herself confided in mid-February that she “might not move”, showing her left leg during an audience in Windsor.
(AFP)
