Plans are being drawn up for the Prince of Wales to read the Queen’s Speech at the state opening of parliament, amid concerns the monarch’s health may prevent her from attending.
Prince Charles, 73, may stand in for his mother on May 10, reflecting the mounting duties he is assuming. The Queen has missed only two state openings during her 70-year reign. First, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew in 1959 and then with Prince Edward in 1963. In each case, her speech was read by the lord chancellor, first Viscount Kilmuir and then Lord Dilhorne.
It comes as the Queen, 95, has decided that she will confirm her attendance at events only on the day, depending on how she is feeling, and will have a member of her family on standby to replace her at short notice.
A question mark hangs over the monarch’s attendance at the state opening after a series of high-profile events she has been forced to cancel because of health and mobility issues. Palace and government officials are discussing a contingency plan for Charles or Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and lord chancellor, to read the speech on her behalf. The prince and the Duchess of Cornwall have joined the Queen at the state opening in recent years.
A royal source said: “The date is in Her Majesty’s diary, and she hopes to attend. The Queen remains fit and active, and it is amazing how much she still does.
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“But her diary is being paced to reflect the realities of a woman of her age, and to ensure that she is able to continue to do as much as she can and would like to do. All events will now be scheduled so that if Her Majesty is unable to attend at short notice, another member of the royal family will still be present.”
The Queen, who recently recovered from Covid, is understood to have settled on royal understudies after she was forced to pull out of Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph in November with a sprained back. This month, the Queen, who has moved permanently from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle, pulled out of attending the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey over concerns for her comfort with the journey from Windsor. She was represented by Charles instead.
In October, she spent a night in hospital after “preliminary investigations” for an unspecified ailment, and subsequently followed her doctors’ advice to rest for several weeks. It is understood the Queen has a condition that is prone to “flare-ups” that affect her mobility.
During a meeting at Windsor Castle last month with the incoming and outgoing defence service secretaries, she was seen leaning on her walking stick and told her visitors: “As you can see, I can’t move.” Aides recently confirmed the Queen she will “predominantly” undertake her future engagements at Windsor to reduce her travel.
She is said to be determined to attend a service of thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday morning. The service will last 40 minutes, with her comfort in mind. There will be no tribute or eulogy. A royal source said: “It has been designed to maximise the opportunity for Her Majesty to attend. A very long service would make that difficult, and it is in keeping with what the duke would have wanted, reflecting his modest, understated approach to life.”
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The congregation will include most of the royal family, foreign royals, Prince Philip’s friends, staff and more than 500 representatives from his charities and patronages. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not attend.
In recent years, adjustments have been made to the state opening of parliament, to make proceedings less arduous for the Queen, who has traditionally attended wearing the heavy Imperial State Crown and Robe of State. Since 2016, she has taken a lift to the upper floor of parliament, avoiding the 26 steps of the royal staircase by the sovereign’s entrance.
In 2019, she wore the robe but not the Imperial State Crown, switching to the lighter George IV State Diadem. The crown has since been carried into parliament on a cushion and placed next to her.
At last year’s state opening, which was scaled back drastically by the pandemic, the Queen wore a day dress and hat for the first time and travelled in a car instead of the traditional carriage. Royal aides have said that if the Queen attends future state openings, that pared-back approach will be maintained.
A senior government source said: “There is a convention for the lord chancellor to read the Queen’s Speech if the sovereign is indisposed. However, given the constitutional occasion, the Prince of Wales might be a more appropriate choice given the need to maintain the symbolic link between the crown and parliament.”
