Sunday 15 May 2022 10:19 AM Queen was 'adamant' Prince Charles gave speech at Parliament opening as she ... trends now
The Queen was 'adamant' that Prince Charles delivered her speech at the State Opening of Parliament - as part of the 'pin sharp' monarch's 'masterplan' to prepare her son for the throne and 'soften the edges of transition'.
Her Majesty, 96, was reluctantly forced to pull out of giving the Queen's Speech for the first time in 59 years on Tuesday due to 'episodic mobility problems'.
She had only previously missed the event twice in her entire reign – in 1959 and 1963 when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively – and the speech was read by the then Lord Chancellor.
Prince Charles, dressed in 'full rig' uniform, read her speech for the first time and was accompanied by Prince William - who had never attended before.
Mobility issues have dogged the Queen since last year and have forced her to cancel a string of high-profile public engagements - with concern raised about whether the increasingly frail she will ever be seen in the Palace of Westminster again.
But his appearance was planned by the Queen, her son and their aides as part of the latest move to 'soften the edges of transition' before Charles becomes king, The Times reports.
A royal source said: 'Make no mistake, this was the trailer. The prince was dressed in a very regal way, but not to the point of appropriating the sovereign.
Prince Charles sits by the The Imperial State Crown in the House of Lords Chamber during the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday
Despite concern over her health, the Queen had a beaming smile as she watched The Royal Windsor Horse Show on Friday
The Queen pictured as she gave the 2021 Queen's Speech in the House of Lords in May last year
'Once you adjust your eyes to that, it won’t be so different when we see him wearing the crown. Technically, it wasn’t even necessary to have him read the speech.'
An emotional Prince Charles gazed at his mother's crown before he announced 38 of Boris Johnson's Bills for the coming year including new laws to properly punish eco hooligans, capitalise on Brexit, better regulate landlords and ensure Britons can pay their soaring bills.
It was only the third time the Queen has missed the event in her 70-year reign, with the Lord Chancellor reading a speech on her behalf on each occasion.
But the monarch this year insisted that Charles deliver the speech, rather than current Lord Chancellor Dominic Raab.
William and the Duchess of Cornwall flanked Charles as he delivered the speech from the consort's throne, used by his father Prince Philip for decades, in a major constitutional moment for the
