KQueen Elizabeth II is represented by her son Prince Charles at the annual opening of Parliament on Tuesday. Buckingham Palace said on the eve of the ceremony that she still suffers from mobility problems at times and will therefore, in consultation with her doctors, not attend the traditional appointment at the beginning of the new session.
In recent months, the now 96-year-old monarch has been represented more and more often by family members and almost only held appointments directly at Windsor Castle.
During the state opening, the monarch usually reads the government statement of the respective prime minister in what is known as the Queen’s Speech. In fact, Queen Elizabeth II is not involved in government business. Members of Parliament and Lords gather together for the declaration in the House of Lords, which is equipped with a throne.
London wants to further restrict the right to demonstrate
In addition to the heir to the throne Prince Charles (73), who is now reading the speech instead of the Queen, Prince William (39) should also be present at the appointment on Tuesday, the palace said. The Queen has only missed the opening of Parliament twice in her 70-year reign – each time because she was pregnant, the last time almost 60 years ago. A palace spokesman said at the end of last week that the monarch intended to read the speech personally.
Meanwhile, it became known that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apparently wants to further restrict the right to demonstrate after large-scale protests by radical environmentalists. Chaining or sticking as a form of protest should in future be prohibited with punishment, as reported by the BBC on Tuesday, among others. The plan is one of 38 projects that the Conservative government wanted to present as part of the “Queen’s Speech”.
Home Secretary Kit Malthouse defended the bill. “We have seen a number of very, very prolific, persistent offenders who have chosen to just shamelessly ignore the courts,” Malthouse told the BBC. “Therefore, we will introduce a new order to prevent serious disturbances, which we can impose on individuals to deter them from this type of hooligan protest.” He also stressed that the government respects the freedom to demonstrate.
Most recently, demonstrators from the environmental groups Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion had paralyzed traffic in London and on the motorways, sometimes sticking themselves to the roadway or chaining themselves to obstacles. This caused outrage in conservative circles. A first attempt by the government to restrict the right to demonstrate and to give the police more powers to break up protests failed due to opposition from the House of Lords.
According to the media, the government’s dozens of plans also include plans to repeal EU laws that were initially adopted after Brexit.
The opening of the new session is accompanied by great pomp. In 2020 the ceremony was canceled due to the corona pandemic, last year it took place on a smaller scale. Since 2016, the Queen has used the elevator instead of the stairs when visiting Parliament. Most recently, Elizabeth II no longer wore the heavy crown and state robes, but a hat and costume.
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