Prince Charles is to read the Queen’s Speech on her behalf for the first time ever, after the 96-year-old monarch pulled out due to mobility problems.
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge will open Parliament, after the Queen granted special permission.
It will be Prince William’s first state opening, and he and Prince Charles will be accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall.
It is the first time since 1963 that the Queen will not deliver the speech.
This is the category of royal that includes the next four people in the line of succession who are over the age of 21.Buckingham Palace said on Monday that the decision to pull out had been taken in consultation with the Queen’s doctors, as she continues to experience “episodic mobility problems”.
