Queen Elizabeth II Opens State Parliament

Britain’s State Opening of Parliament took place at the Palaces of Westminster by Queen Elizabeth II today, in the traditional glittering ceremony that sees the Queen arrive by horse-drawn coach and don the Robe of State and the Imperial State Crown as she delivers the Queen’s Speech.

The 90-year-old monarch used the lift up to the Sovereign’s Entrance for the first time, for each of the 63 previous years she has opened parliament she has used the stairs. The decision was described as a “modest concession” to the Queen’s age.

The Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were all present for the opening, sitting to the sides of the Queen in the House of Lords as she delivered her speech, in which she spoke of the 21 new laws the government wishes to implement this year.

Once the ceremony was over, the royal travelled back to Buckingham Palace via coach.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Parliament, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales.