Return to pomp and ceremony as King steps into role long performed by his mother
The King opened Parliament for the first time as monarch, with the Queen supporting him in his duty.
It was another milestone in the reign of Charles III – his first King’s Speech.
And it began with a tribute to his “beloved mother”, the nation’s longest reigning sovereign.
“It is mindful of the legacy of service and devotion to this country set by my beloved mother, the late Queen, that I deliver this, the first King’s Speech in over 70 years,” the King said in a poignant start to the ceremony.
But Charles, a week away from turning 75 and the first male monarch to open parliament since his grandfather George VI in 1950, returned to deliver a State Opening with all the pomp and ceremony of old.
The Imperial State Crown was given another wear after the coronation, appearing on a monarch’s head at a state opening for the first time in seven years, and Camilla made her debut in the most queenly of jewels, the dazzling Diamond Diadem, with both wearing lengthy crimson velvet Robes of State.
A lengthy speech faced the King and he was not in a hurry.
Charles took 11 and a half minutes to read his Government’s 1,223 words, the longest text for nearly 20 years, and he delivered it slowly and solemnly.
A few slip ups materialised. Charles said “long torm” instead of “long term” before correcting himself, and he stumbled over the word “who” as he read the line: “My ministers will put the security of communities and the nation ahead of the rights of those who endanger it.”
Green champion Charles, whose life has been spent campaigning with a passion to try to save the planet from environmental catastrophe, was required, in his role as a politically neutral head of state, to announce a bill on the licensing of new oil and gas fields.
He remained deadpan in tone throughout, glancing upwards occasionally, as he carried out his duty.
There was a rare sight of public hand-holding at an official occasion for Charles and Camilla, who emulated the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh as they held their clasped hands aloft for support as they processed through the Lords.
Royal robes, with heavy material and lengthy trains, can be difficult to deal with but the King adopted a method of flicking his red cloak to the side with his left hand to move it away from his feet.
Settling into this throne, he had adjusted the trousers of his Admiral of the Fleet uniform by pulling the material slightly.
Camilla had taken a cautious approach when she stepped from the state coach on arrival at the Sovereign’s Entrance
There was a little delay as she attempted to stand and navigate the tricky descent on the carriage’s fold down steps.
The coachman lent a helping hand by giving back her clutch and then nobly crouching down to fully spread out the train of her gown.
Two tiny dog motifs adorned the Queen’s dress, perhaps a first for a regal state opening outfit, with Camilla re-wearing her coronation couture ensemble, which features golden embroidered images of her pet terriers Beth and Bluebell.
Camilla gave a grin as they began their procession through the Lords, and Charles was all smiles as he met and shook hands with some of the key characters including Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, and Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk.
It was all a familiar scene for Charles, who first attended the occasion as a teenager in 1967 and many years since, but this was his first truly at the helm, albeit reading the Government’s words.
And while riding in a carriage is a familiar experience for the royal family, Charles and Camilla showed that even kings and queens get it wrong sometimes.
As Camilla stepped into the state coach ready for their return journey home, she sat backwards, with Charles promptly joining her, before an official began urgently making circular motions with his hand to warn them.
