What happens this Tuesday at 12.30 p.m. German time, writes the British Guardians in his article three times, be unprecedentednever seen before.
This is when the Queens’ Speech is scheduled, the traditional speech by the British Head of State that opens the session of the British Parliament every year. A ritual, the sequence of which is defined down to the smallest detail and which is of great symbolic importance in the tradition-loving kingdom.
Queen Elizabeth II has always given this speech, at least for as long as the overwhelming majority of Britons can remember. She has taken a seat on the throne in the British House of Lords, where the Queens’ Speech is traditionally read out, because according to tradition, no monarch has been allowed to enter the House of Commons since 1642. She wore the crown, which, lying on a red velvet pillow, is driven from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster in a Rolls-Royce, at least until this crown became too heavy for her a few years ago because of its weight. She has also worn hats and sent out delicate political signals with those hats, palace experts say, for example in 2017 when she wore a blue hat with yellow flowers, ostensibly a commitment to the EU. And she spoke in front of almost empty benches last year, still in deep mourning because her husband, Prince Philip, had died shortly before, because of the pandemic, only 17 Lords and 17 MPs were present. In short: Queen Elizabeth II always did what everyone respected during her speech on the throne in Parliament, which is why she represented her country with dignity. And that, although she only recites what the respective prime minister has had her write down. After all, the speech from the throne is ultimately just that: an activity report and a list of the government’s plans, in this case those of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
But this year the Queen is not coming. That’s what the Guardians in his article unprecedented names. Elizabeth only missed the Throne Speech in 1959 and 1963 when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively. Instead of the Queen, Prince Charles will read what Johnson wants. “Mobility issues” are cited as the official reason why the 96-year-old Queen is not delivering the speech from the throne herself. The doctors advised her to do so, it is said on the eve of the ceremony from Buckingham Palace and it is also said that the Queen found the decision very difficult.
In recent months, she has entrusted her son Charles, 73, and his son William, 39, with more and more representative tasks. She herself has almost only kept appointments at Windsor Castle, where she has lived since the beginning of the pandemic.
In order for Charles to be able to give the speech from the throne, a so-called letters patent be enacted, with this document, the Queen can perform sovereign tasks on the so-called counselors of state conferred, family members empowered to assume royal functions when necessary. There are currently four: Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, with the last two being canceled for known reasons.
Charles comes to the House of Lords with his wife Duchess Camilla, Prince William and Duchess Catherine are also present. The crown will, of course, not be worn by Charles, will be brought in by Rolls-Royce.
Members of the House of Commons must stand and listen to the Speech from the Throne at the rear of the House of Lords. They will, led by speakers of the house, led into the hall, up to a line that they must not cross. Behind the speaker are Boris Johnson of the Conservative Tories and Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labor Party. Not all of the more than 600 MPs fit in the room, many of them have to follow what is happening from outside. As magnificently staged and steeped in tradition as the ceremony is, the speech itself is unfussy: without a pathetic introduction, Charles lists the government’s proposed legislation one after the other, from promoting free trade and strengthening the police force to combating unemployment. After about ten minutes he wishes God’s blessings, that’s it.
The tabloids run long stories about the Queen that day, flipping back and forth every detail that might reveal clues to her health. They ask for the thousandth time whether Charles is really up to the role as successor (answer mostly: no). And the subjects in Britain? At least they can be aware that their democracy shines at least once a year despite Brexit, despite the party scandals surrounding Boris Johnson, despite new problems in Northern Ireland. You have the Queens’ Speech. The Germans have government statements from Olaf Scholz.