United Kingdom

The queen will miss the state opening of parliament due to mobility problems

The queen withdrew from the state opening of parliament on Tuesday due to ongoing mobility problems.

Her throne will remain empty until Prince Charles gives the speech in her place, Buckingham Palace said.

The palace said in a statement: “The queen continues to experience sporadic mobility problems and, after consulting with her doctors, reluctantly decided not to attend the state opening of parliament tomorrow.

“At the request of Her Majesty and with the consent of the relevant authorities, the Prince of Wales will read a speech by the Queen on behalf of Her Majesty, with the participation of the Duke of Cambridge.

The episodic mobility problems are said to be a continuation of the problems the queen has been suffering from since the autumn.

The 96-year-old monarch was hospitalized in October and has been making mostly virtual engagements ever since.

She missed Easter events and recently announced that she will not be hosting royal garden parties this year.

The Queen’s speech in 1958, when the speech was first recorded

(PA)

On Sunday, the palace revealed that the queen’s presence on her platinum anniversary next month may not be confirmed until “the day itself.”

Tomorrow’s state opening will be the first that the Queen has missed in nearly 60 years, as she was absent in 1959 and 1963 due to pregnancy.

In these cases, the Queen’s speech was read by the Lord Chancellor, but on Tuesday Prince Charles will deliver it for the first time.

The speech is being used by the government of the day to promote its legislative agenda for next year.

This year, the main topics are expected to be energy and the cost of living, dirty money, the privatization of Channel 4 and post-Brexit changes in Northern Ireland’s border arrangements.