King Charles and Prince William in 2019.Photo:Anwar Hussein/WireImage
Anwar Hussein/WireImage
The House of LordsannouncedThursday that the 2023 State Opening of Parliament will take place on November 7. The event is significant as it is the first of the new reign and will be the first time Charles, 74, delivers his King’s Speech.
But the Prince of Wales, 41, already has a commitment on the calendar for that date — the 2023Earthshot Prizeawards ceremonybeing held in Singapore. It’s currently unclear if William’s wife —Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales — will join him on the trip.
Although this will be the first State Opening of Parliament of King Charles' reign, he stepped in for Queen Elizabeth at the event in May 2022. Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen, who died in September at age 96, wouldmiss the event due to “episodic mobility problems.“For the first time,Charles represented his motherand read the Queen’s Speech.
During the 11-minute speech, which outlined the administration’s objectives, the then-Prince Charles used the often repeated phrase “Her Majesty’s government” instead of “My government,” which is what Queen Elizabeth would use if she had delivered the speech.
Prince Williamsupported his father at the event, attending the State Opening of Parliament for the first time, and Camilla also took part in the ceremony at the Houses of Parliament in London.
Queen Elizabeth delegated her royal duty of opening a new session of Parliament to her son and grandson via a letter patent, which enabled them to jointly exercise that function. Both were acting as Counsellors of State, and two Counsellors of State are required to perform any of the monarch’s constitutional duties.
Royals at the 2022 State Opening of Parliament.HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The event is steeped in tradition — and calls for royal regalia.
Although Queen Elizabeth opted to wear a day dress and hat in recent years, the State Opening of Parliament often saw the late monarch wearing the Imperial State Crown (or a diadem) and her long velvet Robe of State.
Meanwhile, members of the House of Lords wear ceremonial robes, and judges of the High Court of Justice wear wigs.
King Charles wascrownedat his May 6 coronation with the St. Edward’s Crown, which is only used to crown a new monarch during the coronation ceremony, before swapping it for the Imperial State Crown toward the end of the service and wearing it for the following appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
It’s unclear if King Charles will wear the historic headpiece for the State Opening of Parliament in November, but the crown will still be present for the event.
In 2022, the Imperial State Crown was processed in on a pillow and placed placed prominently on a table between Charles and William for the ceremony.
King Charles wears the Imperial State Crown following his coronation on May 6, 2023.Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
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Hannah Jones, CEO of the Earthshot Prize,exclusively told PEOPLE, “I think he and we are all very excited to be in Asia. We think it’s a real opportunity to spotlight what countries around the region are doing, what people are doing.”
She added that the Prince of Wales “doesn’t stay still. His ambition continues to grow, and rightly so. The focus is still completely, ‘What are we doing to impact? What is our impact? How do we scale our impact? How can we go faster?’ "
In addition to his travels to Asia in the fall, Prince William isheading to New York Cityin September for the second Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit. There, the fifteen 2023 Earthshot Prize finalists will be revealed ahed of the prize ceremony.
source: people.com
