He hadn’t given up last year either, just a few weeks after his goodbye to his beloved Filippo. But today, for the first time in 75 years, the Queen Elizabeth, 96, was forced (in spite of herself) to give up the opening ceremony of the Parliament. In her place in Westminster is Charles with Prince William beside her: a presence as important as it is symbolic. Two generations in direct succession to the queen. One next to the other. The queen is not there but the message is clear: the future is guaranteed.
«The Queen – we read – continues to experience episodic mobility problems and, after consulting with her doctors, she reluctantly decided not to participate in the State Opening. At her Majesty’s request, and with the agreement of the relevant authorities (Parliament and Government), the Prince of Wales will read the Queen’s Speech in her stead, with the Duke of Cambridge (William) also present. “
Charles of England, rehearsals as a king? He replaces Elizabeth for the “Queen’s Speech”: it is the first time since 1963. William next to him
The health conditions
Over the past year, concerns about his health have grown more pressing. Elisabetta had to be replaced due to her mobility problems. And of course, because the long weekend of June 2-5 is on the horizon with the solemn celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee. Last October, Elisabetta was hospitalized after having participated in as many as 19 consecutive official engagements, some of which had forced her to stand for hours. Since October he has lived in Windsor Castle, or in the country residence of Sandringham, in English Norfolk, as suggested by doctors, especially after a 24-hour hospitalization for diagnostic tests and after the infection from Covid, passed by Her Majesty in February. which left her “tired”, as she told during a video call with the Royal London Hospital. A condition evidently not overcome by everything, as today’s announcement testifies. And that even casts shadows on her participation in the most anticipated appointment of the year: the key celebrations in London of the Platinum Jubilee scheduled from 2 to 5 June, including parades, popular celebrations and greetings to the subjects from the balcony of the palace real.
Carlo could become “Prince Regent”
According to former BBC Royal Correspondent for the Royal House Peter Hunt today’s speech for the opening of the Parliament it was “a significant moment for the two future kings”. In fact, it could be a further step forward because, according to the expert, “The heir is on the verge of becoming a de facto prince regent”. Today’s speech is also an important signal, because with the progressive withdrawal of the queen from public life, Buckingham Palace wishes to show that the monarchy is safe in the hands of its rightful heirs, father and son, even if the queen is unable to perform her duties due to health or age-related problems.
But according to the English constitution that is allowed someone to replace the queen while she is still alive? The answer is yes, the English constitution provides that the queen can appoint gods State Councilors who act in his stead in the event of temporary impossibility to perform their duties due to illness or absence abroad. By law, the Councilors of State include the spouse of the sovereign, who would be the late Duke of Edinburgh, and the next four persons in the line of succession who are over 21, namely Charles, William, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew. . In addition, the queen has the power to appoint advisers under the Regency Acts 1937-53. In fact, Prince Charles and William attended today’s ceremony as State Councilors. And it is not excluded that the same “trick” may be used in the future.
The last time the Queen had appealed to the Councilors of State was in 2015, when Elizabeth was absent on an official visit to Malta.