Sitting to the left of the crown to which he is the heir, Prince Charles appeared solemn and diligent on Tuesday, May 10, for his first throne speech, a turning point justified by the mobility problems suffered by his mother, Queen Elizabeth. II. Symbol of a life to be patient, the eldest son of the sovereign had to wait until he was 73 to fulfill for the first time this essential function of British sovereigns.
The absence of the queen on Tuesday, the year of the platinum jubilee celebrations, marks a new symbolic stage in the gradual transfer of the sovereign’s tasks to Prince Charles, who has already represented her abroad for several years. Dressed in his medal-laden navy uniform, Charles outlined Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s UK government priorities. He took his place on the Consort’s Throne, once used by his father Prince Philip, who died just over a year ago at the age of 99. To her right, the space usually reserved for the throne of the sovereign, who recently celebrated her 96th birthday, had been left empty.
A nine-minute speech
Rhythm by expressions “Her Majesty’s Government” Where “Her Majesty’s Ministers” instead of the usual “my government” and “my ministers” spoken by his mother, Charles detailed the range of major government bills for the upcoming parliamentary session. Purchasing power, Northern Ireland, many topics were reviewed, as was “the defense of democracy” around the world, particularly in Ukraine.
Beneath the gilding and warm colors of a Chamber of Lords – the upper house of the British Parliament – full, Prince Charles read in his deep voice, a hint less warm than it is sometimes, the text of his booklet for nearly nine minutes. While reading, he regularly glanced – facing him, or sometimes from one side then the other – towards his audience. Once the exercise was over, Prince Charles, as he had done when he entered, followed the crown placed on its purple velvet cushion, nodding to each side of the room as he left.
On his left, in the place where he usually sat, his wife Camilla, dressed in a navy blue outfit, had taken his place, while his eldest son William, 39, second in line of succession, was at his right, in a jacket and wearing his medals for his first participation in the event. It was the first time in almost sixty years and the third time in seventy years of reign that Queen Elizabeth II had missed this annual event. She had already delegated this speech when she was pregnant, in 1959 and 1963 respectively.