It’s a « historic moment » in the United Kingdom: Prince Charles gave the traditional speech from the throne in Parliament in place of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The queen had announced on Monday evening that she would be replaced by her son because of his mobility problems.
At 73, the heir to the crown arrived in Parliament as the national anthem rang out God Save the Queen. In a uniform covered with decorations, Prince Charles then read, on behalf of the Queen, the speech setting out the government’s program at the opening of the parliamentary session. He sat on the throne reserved for the consort, symbolically smaller than that of the monarch. At his side was his wife Camilla, 74, as well as his eldest son, Prince William, 39, who was present for the first time, further proof of a change of generations that is taking place. The crown was placed on a cushion.
It is only the third time during her seventy years of reign that the 96-year-old head of state has missed this solemn appointment of British democracy. Pregnant, she had been absent in 1959 and 1963. It is also the first time that the Prince of Wales, who has already represented her abroad for several years and is taking a growing place, replaces her.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Monday evening:
The Queen continues to have episodic mobility issues and, after consultation with her doctors, has reluctantly decided not to take part in the Speech from the Throne. 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, together with the Duke of Cambridge [le prince William, petit-fils de la reine, deuxième dans l’ordre de succession au trône] also present.
The queen had already given up in recent years to wear her heavy crown for this very codified ceremony. His absence revives questions about his participation in early June in the celebrations of the platinum jubilee, marking his seventy years of reign.
Last week, the Queen warned that she would not be attending this summer’s royal garden parties at Buckingham Palace. Her most recent public appearance was at the March 29 memorial service for her late husband, Prince Philip, who died aged 99 last year.
Winning back disappointed voters
A few days after heavy setbacks in the local elections, where his party lost some 500 seats, the Conservative Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, hopes by this speech to show that he is concerned about the fall in purchasing power and to forget the scandals .
Triumphantly coming to power in July 2019, he has seen his popularity plummet in recent months, against a backdrop of the purchasing power crisis, criticism of his handling of the pandemic and the scandal of the “partygate” which earned him a fine, a first for a head of government in office.
The speech opened with a promise to « strengthen the economy and help to help the cost of living » in the face of soaring prices hitting households, with according to a study published by the Food Foundation, millions of Britons who no longer have enough to eat.
The text includes measures likely to appeal to the conservative base, in particular laws intended to reduce red tape after the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, which became fully effective last year.
The government also wants to prevent « guerrilla techniques » groups like Extinction Rebellion, hated by its base, who demonstrated by blocking roads or public transport « harming hard-working people, costing taxpayers millions of public money and putting lives at risk ». To make it easier to deport foreign criminals, the government wants to change human rights legislation.
He was also to announce legislation intended to reduce red tape after the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (EU), which became fully effective on January 31, 2020.
This set of bills, which he called the « super seven », will enable the UK to “to prosper as a modern, dynamic and independent country” in « changing old EU rules that don’t work for the UK »he explained to the newspaper Sunday Express.
Opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer, also criticized for sharing beers and curries with a team from his party last year, added pressure on his shoulders by pledging to resign if he receives, like the prime minister, a fine for breaking anti-Covid rules.