The heir to the throne was joined by his wife,Camilla and son Prince William to jointly open the new session of parliament after the Queen deployed them as Counsellors of State to deputise for her.
The state opening of parliament is an event of huge pomp and pageantry which traditionally sees the Queen travelling in a state coach,escorted by mounted soldiers in ceremonial uniform,while the Imperial State Crown and other regalia travel ahead in a carriage of their own.
In a speech written by the government for the monarch to outline its priorities for the next 12 months,Charles began by saying the government’s priority was to improve the economy and tackle the cost of living crisis.
“Her Majesty’s government’s priority is to grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families,” Charles said.
“Her Majesty’s government will level up opportunity in all parts of the country and support more people into work. Her ministers will continue to support the police to make the streets safer,and fund the National Health Service to reduce the COVID backlogs.”
The speech also covered a variety of topics,including economic crime,schools,animal welfare,railway reform and energy security. It also made several commitments that are not presented as legislation,such as a coded reference to ongoing issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.