Queen to carry out first major duty since Philip’s death as she attends State Opening of Parliament

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The Queen carried out her first major public ceremonial duty this morning since the death of her husband Prince Philip a month ago.

Her Majesty took part in a scaled-back, socially-distanced State Opening where she announced Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s legislative agenda while being supported by her son Prince Charles.

The monarch, 95, did not wear a mask at the ceremony while all other participants did, and Her Majesty was also without the two-pound Imperial State crown or ceremonial robes.

Charles’s presence at her side this year, so soon after the death of Philip aged 99 on April 9, will be seen as a sign of things to come at future royal engagements. 

The Queen wore what royal officials described as ‘day dress’ – a coat and hat – instead of her ceremonial robes or crown and travelled by car from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, rather than by coach.

She was accompanied by a lady-in-waiting and had earlier been driven from Windsor Castle.

Following Philip’s death, the consort’s throne – which was first installed in 1901 for Queen Alexandra – was removed from the House of Lords and is now in the care of the Lord Great Chamberlain for safekeeping. 

The monarch’s Imperial State Crown was, as in recent years, carried separately and placed on a table in the House of Lords before she gave her keynote speech, outlining the government’s plans for the year.

In the speech, Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to ‘turbo-charge the Covid recovery’ today as he unveiled a raft of measures for the ‘Blue Wall’ with moves to boost jobs, crack down on illegal immigration, and curb ‘woke’ culture.

The PM warned it is not enough to go back to pre-pandemic ways as the monarch laid out the package of legislation for the next parliamentary session.

In a state occasion stripped of most of the usual pomp and ceremony, the Queen – in her first major duty since the death of Prince Philip – said the country should be ‘stronger, healthier and more prosperous than before’.

Among the key points from the speech were:

• A ‘lifetime skills guarantee’ will be enshrined in law to enable anyone to upgrade their qualifications, regardless of their background;
• An immigration overhaul will block asylum for people who have travelled through ‘safe’ countries such as France and Belgium;
• A total ban on online junk food ads will go ahead despite claims ministers were trying to kill off the ‘half-baked’ idea;
• The PM will take back control of the timing of elections and could shorten the length of campaigns, with a row over proposals to require ID for people to vote;
• People denied a platform by universities could seek compensation in the courts under government plans to tackle ‘cancel culture’;

The centrepiece of the ceremony, the Crown Jewels which weigh two pounds and eight ounces, are now too heavy for the 95-year-old Queen to wear at what was a pared-down ‘Covid-appropriate’ event.  

Elizabeth II, the nation’s longest reigning sovereign, last wore the crown – which is made of more than 3,000 gemstones and weighs two pounds and 13 ounces – for the 2016 state opening.

The Queen has formally opened each new session of Parliament on all but two occasions during her 69-year reign – in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

The decision to operate what is known as a ‘reduced ceremonial State Opening’ was viewed as a sensible option given the pandemic and restrictions still being in place.

Officials were also keen not to encourage crowds – and the scaled-back ceremony was because of the Covid-19 crisis, rather than the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Her Majesty was accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Charles has previously accompanied the Queen, as has Camilla.

In the House of Lords, a single ornate golden throne was placed under the gold canopy ready for the Queen. Previously there was a pair of thrones – for the Queen and her consort. 

The consort’s throne, which was first installed in 1901 for Queen Alexandra, is in the care of the Lord Great Chamberlain for safekeeping. The Prince of Wales has previously sat on the consort’s throne when accompanying the Queen.

But during today’s Covid-secure ceremony, Charles at with the Duchess of Cornwall on chairs of state – placed to the side.

The priceless Imperial State Crown was taken from Buckingham Palace with other regalia on its way to the Palace of Westminster.

It is made of more than 3,000 gemstones and weighs two pounds and 13 ounces, and was carried to the state opening by car.

The Queen did not wear the heavy crown – the last time she did so was in 2016.

Earlier, the Royal Standard was flying above Buckingham Palace, meaning the Queen was back at the central London royal residence for the first time in six months.

The monarch, who has spent most of lockdown at Windsor Castle, was last at the Palace before her visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, and on Remembrance Day, before the Cenotaph service in November.

The monarchy’s official Twitter account posted a short video of the scene outside the Palace.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived at the Sovereign’s Entrance of the Palace of Westminster, travelling from Clarence House by car.

The prince, in a morning suit, wore a black mask edged in white while Camilla, in a white day dress and hat, matched her mask to her outfit.

The Queen left Buckingham Palace in a convoy of cars, on her way to the state opening – the 67th of her reign.  

The monarch was dressed in a pale lilac coat with yellow floral embroidery around the collar, and a matching lilac hat, rather than the crown or state robes, for the scaled-back state opening.

Camilla walked behind the Queen and Charles in the simple procession. The scene that greeted the Queen in the Royal Gallery was vastly different from previous years.

Instead of being filled with people, the room contained just 34 seated guests – 17 peers and 17 MPs positioned far apart, socially distanced and wearing masks. They were selected for the occasion via a ballot.

MPs complied with social distancing measures as they sat two metres apart in the Commons chamber ahead of the Queen’s Speech. Around 50 were sat on the green benches with more MPs sat in the side galleries and public gallery.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson sat arms folded wearing a black face mask with a Union flag on it. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also wore a black mask, with his deputy Angela Rayner sat to his right.

Black Rod arrived and knocked on the door three times to request MPs attend the Lords.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle led a handful of MPs in single file to the other House, including Mr Johnson, Sir Keir, Home Secretary Priti Patel and SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford. The majority of MPs stayed in the Commons.

The Queen said the Government’s priority is to ‘deliver a national recovery from the pandemic that makes the United Kingdom stronger, healthier and more prosperous than before’. 

When the Queen walked towards the principal throne in the House of Lords Chamber, the Prince of Wales kept hold of his mother’s hand as she made her way carefully up the low steps.

Charles moved back and then took his seat situated at the far side.

The cream booklet containing the Queen’s speech had been placed on a table draped in an embroidered red and gold velvet covering, next to the monarch’s throne.

In non-Covid times, the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland would have handed the speech directly to the sovereign. 

Another amendment for the ceremony today is that the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland will not hand the speech directly to the Queen as is usually the custom, but place it on a table instead. 

Other changes include no military street liners or lining of the Sovereign’s staircase and no military band nor Guard of Honour outside the Palace of Westminster or as part of the procession from Buckingham Palace.

There will be no heralds in attendance, only two Yeomen and Gentlemen at Arms, just one bishop representing the group of 26, and only the Lord Chief Justice and the Head of the Supreme Court representing the Judges.

But one ancient tradition which will still take place is the one involving the House of Lords official, Black Rod. 

Sarah Clarke, Lady Usher of the Black Rod, will see the doors to the Commons shut in her face as she arrives to summon MPs.

She has to strike the door three times before it is opened. It is a practice that dates back to the Civil War and is said to symbolise the Commons’ independence from the monarchy.

Members of the Royal Family are expected to rally round the elderly monarch even more in the coming months and years following the loss of her husband. 

Charles has been at his mother’s side for the last three state openings – in December 2019, October 2019 and in June 2017.

He stepped in for his father Philip in 2017 after the duke fell ill with an infection, two months before he retired from public duties. 

It is the first time the Queen has conducted an engagement outside of Windsor Castle since her husband died – and only the second time she has been at Buckingham Palace since she retreated to Windsor in March last year during the first lockdown.

She briefly visited when she travelled to London to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey last November.

Philip, the nation’s longest reigning consort, spent decades accompanying the monarch to the grand occasion at Parliament, sitting on an ornate golden throne at his wife’s side. 

The Queen has been continuing with her work as sovereign at Windsor Castle as she mourns the loss of her beloved husband of 73 years.

The Queen marks the beginning of the parliamentary session by delivering the Queen’s Speech, which sets out the Government’s legislative plans.

The State Opening of Parliament is usually the most colourful event of the parliamentary year and is steeped in tradition and customs dating back centuries.

But because of the pandemic, the pomp and ceremony has been reduced in 2021 to prevent any spread of coronavirus.

MPs and members of the House of Lords will have to wear masks throughout unless they are exempt, and everyone present will have to take a Covid test beforehand and only be allowed to attend if they have a negative result.

Significantly fewer politicians and peers will be there compared with previous years and no diplomatic or non-parliamentary guests have been invited, with just 108 people attending, including the Queen, rather than up to 600 as is the norm.

There will 74 people in the chamber, including the monarch, Charles, Camilla, the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer, representatives from the House of Lords and House of Commons and those involved in the ceremonial procession.

There will also be 17 members of the Lords and 17 MPs in the Royal Gallery.

Discussions took place with the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England to ensure the event was Covid-secure, with limited attendance, social distancing, masks, good hand hygiene and Covid testing incorporated into the proceedings. 

Boris vows to ‘turbo-charge the Covid recovery’ as Queen unveils his plans to bolster ‘Blue Wall’ with jobs boost, illegal immigration crackdown, and action against ‘woke’ culture – but nothing on social care

• The Queen’s Speech is being unveiled with plans to give every adult access to loans for courses and training
• Boris Johnson has vowed to introduce a ‘lifetime skills guarantee’ to help people upgrade qualifications 
• The radical plan is among a range of ‘levelling up’ measures in the government’s legislative programme 
• Asylum overhaul, planning reforms and total ban on online junk food adverts also in the government package  
• The PM is hammering home his message after taking more chunks out of Labour heartlands in local elections 

BY JAMES TAPSFIELD FOR MAILONLINE 

Boris Johnson vowed to ‘turbo-charge the Covid recovery’ today as he unveiled a Queen’s Speech for the ‘Blue Wall’ with moves to boost jobs, crack down on illegal immigration, and curb ‘woke’ culture.  

The PM warned it is not enough to go back to pre-pandemic ways as the monarch laid out the package of legislation for the next parliamentary session.

In a state occasion stripped of most of the usual pomp and ceremony, the Queen – in her first major duty since the death of Prince Philip – said the country should be ‘stronger, healthier and more prosperous than before’.  

In an introduction to the new parliamentary programme, Mr Johnson said it is time to ‘build back better’ – hailing a huge drive to increase skills and ‘level up’ in areas that have fallen behind. The Tories made huge gains in many of those places in local elections last week, and are hoping to turn the screw on crisis-hit Keir Starmer.

There will also be action to reform the asylum system and crack down on illegal immigration, as well as moves to tackle ‘cancel culture’ at universities, and an overhaul of the planning system to make building homes ‘simpler and faster’. 

But the government is already facing criticism after the speech included just nine words about social care provision – something Mr Johnson has promised to fix – and no Bill among the 30 or so slated.

And there is set to be a major backlash after it was confirmed ministers are pushing ahead with ‘nanny state’ proposals for a total ban on online junk food advertising. 

Mr Johnson will face off against Sir Keir in the Commons this afternoon since the extraordinary election results that sent Labour into a tailspin. Rumours have been sweeping Westminster that he now plans to call an early election in 2023 – with the PM set to take back control over the date for polls.  

Among the key points from the speech: 

• A ‘lifetime skills guarantee’ will be enshrined in law to enable anyone to upgrade their qualifications, regardless of their background; 
• An immigration overhaul will block asylum for people who have travelled through ‘safe’ countries such as France and Belgium;
• A total ban on online junk food ads will go ahead despite claims ministers were trying to kill off the ‘half-baked’ idea; 
• The PM will take back control of the timing of elections and could shorten the length of campaigns, with a row over proposals to require ID for people to vote;
• People denied a platform by universities could seek compensation in the courts under government plans to tackle ‘cancel culture’;
• The Government is to strengthen Britain’s ‘archaic’ counter-espionage laws amid growing concern about the security threat from foreign spies operating in the UK; 

A range of measures double down on the agenda that helped the Tories storm more of Labour’s former heartlands in the Midlands and the North last week. 

Others include reforms to state aid to make it easier for the Government to subsidise industries facing unfair competition, new light-touch freeports and a shake-up of the planning regime to accelerate the rollout of new housing and infrastructure.

In his introduction to the legislative platform, Mr Johnson said: ‘Even before COVID-19, there were millions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who wanted a new approach. 

‘They wanted better funded public services, a chance to own their own home, jobs and apprenticeships in their towns, investment in better transport links and local infrastructure. A brighter future for their families, neighbours, high streets and communities.

‘So as our vaccination programme helps release us from lockdown, we cannot simply return to the way things were. Now as pubs, shops and restaurants are reopening, and we are seeing our friends and family – our mission must be to build back better than before.’

Mr Johnson – who confirmed last night that England is pushing ahead with coronavirus lockdown relaxations from May 17 – said the government will ‘back the amazing work of our NHS in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’.

Trying to quell the burgeoning row over social care, he said: ‘Later in the year we will bring forward proposals to reform adult social care so that every person receives the dignity and security they deserve.

‘As the United Kingdom gets back on its feet, we will turbo-charge our economic recovery in every part of our country, increasing and spreading opportunity.’

Addressing Parliament from the throne in the House of Lords, the Queen said: ‘My Government will level up opportunities across all parts of the United Kingdom, supporting jobs, businesses and economic growth, and addressing the impact of the pandemic on public services.

‘My Government will protect the health of the nation, continuing the vaccination programme and providing additional funding to support the NHS.’

Where is social care plan? Just nine words devoted to key issue in Queen’s Speech 

Downing Street set itself on a collision course with social care reform campaigners today after the key issue warranted just nine words in the Queen’s Speech.

Senior Tories including former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and deputy prime minister Damian Green warned today that ongoing delays over making sweeping changes to the system were causing ‘incredible worry’ and ‘frustration’.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock had tried to reassure the public that change was coming as he insisted the Government was ‘committed’ to reforms the Tories promised in their 2019 election manifesto.

But the Queen’s Speech today contained just a single sentence on the subject, with the monarch noting: ‘Proposals on social care reform will be brought forward.’ 

Care groups, charities and politicians have been long calling for a plan to reform and ‘fix’ the sector, which the Prime Minister promised in his first speech after being elected in July 2019. 

But the PM and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are said to be at war over how to pay for it. 

Mr Johnson is said to back plans set out a decade ago by Sir Andrew Dilnot to cap costs at between £25,000 and £50,000, with the taxpayer covering the rest.

His report also recommended lifting the means-tested threshold for state support from £23,250 to £100,000.

But the Treasury is said to be resisting, saying the cost to the public finances would be huge in the wake of the Covid pandemic. 

Mr Hunt said he hoped a cap will be announced when the Government sets out its legislative agenda, calling the prospect of catastrophic care costs ‘an incredible worry for people’.

Ministers promise ‘lifetime skills guarantee’ to get people into well-paid jobs after hammer blow from coronavirus crisis 

Every adult will be given access to a flexible loan to pay for higher-level education under plans announced today by Boris Johnson as part of a new ‘Lifetime Skills Guarantee’. 

Mr Johnson said new education laws set out in the Queen’s Speech will provide ‘rocket fuel’ to the nation’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis. 

The PM hopes the guarantee will enable people to gain the skills they need to secure well-paid jobs and to access training throughout the course of their lives.

The so-called Lifelong Loan Entitlement to pay for education and training at university or college will be available to people at any point. 

It will provide flexible access to the equivalent of up to four years’ worth of student loans. 

It is part of a wider effort by the Government to ‘remove the bias against technical education’. 

Only 10 per cent of adults aged 20-45 hold a higher technical qualification as their highest qualification compared to 20 per cent in Germany and 34 per cent in Canada. 

Mr Johnson said: ‘These new laws are the rocket fuel that we need to level up this country and ensure equal opportunities for all. 

‘We know that having the right skills and training is the route to better, well-paid jobs.

‘I’m revolutionising the system so we can move past the outdated notion that there is only one route up the career ladder, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to retrain or upskill at any point in their lives.’

The Government’s plans will also see employers handed a statutory role in planning publicly-funded training programmes with education providers through a so-called ‘Skills Accelerator’ scheme.   

Meanwhile, the Education Secretary will be given more powers to intervene in failing colleges. 

Tory war on ‘cancel culture’: People denied a platform by universities will be able to seek compensation in the courts 

The Conservatives opened a new front in their war on ‘cancel culture’ today, unveiling a new law forcing universities to protect freedom of speech.

The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill will aim to end the so-called ‘no platforming’ of speakers and academics on campuses.

Regulator the Office for Students will get the power to fine institutions and student unions for breaching new duties designed to foster ‘a culture of open and robust intellectual debate’.

People who believe their freedom of speech has been impinged will also get the power to go to court to seek financial compensation. 

Universities have been dogged in the past few years by campaigns to block appearances from figures seen as controversial by some students and staff.

They range from far-right figures to the legendary feminist campaigner Germaine Greer, who has been targeted by the pro-trans lobby over her views on people who change gender.

The bill will ensure ‘freedom of speech can thrive for all staff, students and visiting speakers’, and ensure ‘that academic staff feel safe to question and test received wisdom and put forward new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions, without being at risk of losing their jobs, privileges or promotion’.

Giving the showpiece speech in the House of Lords today, the monarch said that the new law would ‘protect freedom of speech’.

Other figures who have been no-platformed include the former home secretary Amber Rudd. 

Boris Johnson to take back power to call general elections amid rampant speculation he will call early ballot in 2023 to destroy crisis-hit Labour 

Boris Johnson will give prime ministers full control over when to call a general election today amid speculation he is planning to go to the country in 2023 to try to destroy Labour.

The Queen’s Speech today set out plans to replace the hated Fixed-term Parliaments Act which limits the ability of ministers to alter the five-year electoral cycle. 

It was widely criticised for leading to constitutional chaos before the December 2019 election because Boris Johnson’s attempts to call a fresh election earlier were blocked by the opposition and his lack of a majority.

At the State opening of Parliament today the Queen confirmed there would be a Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill.

‘My Government will strengthen and renew democracy and the constitution,’ she said.

‘Legislation will be introduced to ensure the integrity of elections, protect freedom of speech and restore the balance of power between the executive, legislature and the courts

The Government said the plans being unveiled would allow the PM ‘to decide to put the power back in the hands of the public during critical moments for the country’ and prevent ‘stalemates in Parliament from paralysing democracy, as happened in the last Parliament’.

There is also speculation that the new bill will also slash the campaigning time ahead of general elections to just a month.

Ministers are facing a backlash over plans to make it compulsory for voters to prove their identity at the polling station.

Former Tory cabinet minister David Davis said it was an ‘illiberal solution for a non-existent problem’. 

At a Downing Street briefing last night Mr Johnson dismissed the criticism as ‘complete nonsense’, saying it was ‘not unreasonable’ to ask people to show ID to help cut voter fraud. 

Boris’s nanny state? Ban on online junk food ads WILL go ahead despite claims ministers were trying to kill off ‘half-baked’ idea 

Boris Johnson is set to go ahead with plans for a total ban on online junk food ads despite industry experts branding it ‘not even half-baked’. 

The Queen’s Speech includes legislation to impose the restrictions, along with a block on TV ads before the 9pm watershed and ending ‘BOGOF’ deals for unhealthy foods. 

The proposals were put out to consultation before Christmas, but faced opposition from senior Tories and the industry. Critics said the online ads move was ‘insane’ after research suggested it might only shave a couple of calories a day off children’s intake. 

There have been claims the restriction could affect avocados, hummus and Marmite – although officials insist it would be targeted at foods high in sugar, salt, fat or calories. 

According to the new legislative plan the government ‘will restrict the promotions on high fat, salt and sugar food and drinks in retailers from April 2022’. 

The Health and Care Bill will also ‘include measures to ban junk food adverts pre-9pm watershed on TV and for a total ban online’.

Boris Johnson was once a vocal opponent of state meddling in eating and drinking habits, speaking out against efforts by Jamie Oliver to reform school meals.  

Queen performs her first public duty since Philip’s death as she heads to State Opening of Parliament in a car instead of carriage and is supported by Charles at scaled-back ceremony 

The Queen today carried out her first major public ceremonial duty since the death of her husband Prince Philip a month ago.

Her Majesty arrived at the Houses of Parliament this morning for a scaled-back, socially-distanced State Opening where she will be supported by Prince Charles and will not wear the two-pound Imperial State crown. 

Charles’s presence at her side this year, so soon after the death of Philip aged 99 on April 9, will be seen as a sign of things to come at future royal engagements.

The Queen wore what royal officials described as ‘day dress’ – a coat and hat – instead of her ceremonial robes or crown and travelled by car from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, rather than by coach. 

She was accompanied by a lady-in-waiting and had earlier been driven from Windsor Castle.

The monarch’s Imperial State Crown will, as in recent years, be carried separately and placed on a table in the House of Lords when she gives her keynote speech, outlining the government’s plans for the year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the speech to heap pressure on stricken Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer with a legislative agenda aiming to ‘level up’ jobs and investment in former Labour heartlands.

The PM will try to cement his new ‘Blue Wall’ vowing people will no longer have to move to London for decent work, and boosting education opportunities for those who have not been to university.

The centrepiece of the ceremony, the Crown Jewels which weigh two pounds and eight ounces, are now too heavy for the 95-year-old Queen to wear at what will be a pared-down ‘Covid-appropriate’ event. 

Elizabeth II, the nation’s longest reigning sovereign, last wore the crown – which is made of more than 3,000 gemstones and weighs two pounds and 13 ounces – for the 2016 state opening. 

The Queen has formally opened each new session of Parliament on all but two occasions during her 69-year reign – in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

The decision to operate what is known as a ‘reduced ceremonial State Opening’ is seen as a sensible option given the pandemic and restrictions still being in place.  

Officials are also keen not to encourage crowds – and the scaled-back ceremony is because of the Covid-19 crisis, rather than the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Her Majesty will be accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Charles has previously accompanied the Queen, as has Camilla.  

Another amendment for the ceremony today is that the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland will not hand the speech directly to the Queen as is usually the custom, but place it on a table instead. 

Other changes include no military street liners or lining of the Sovereign’s staircase and no military band nor Guard of Honour outside the Palace of Westminster or as part of the procession from Buckingham Palace.

There will be no heralds in attendance, only two Yeomen and Gentlemen at Arms, just one bishop representing the group of 26, and only the Lord Chief Justice and the Head of the Supreme Court representing the Judges.

But one ancient tradition which will still take place is the one involving the House of Lords official, Black Rod. 

Sarah Clarke, Lady Usher of the Black Rod, will see the doors to the Commons shut in her face as she arrives to summon MPs.

She has to strike the door three times before it is opened. It is a practice that dates back to the Civil War and is said to symbolise the Commons’ independence from the monarchy.

Members of the Royal Family are expected to rally round the elderly monarch even more in the coming months and years following the loss of her husband.

Charles has been at his mother’s side for the last three state openings – in December 2019, October 2019 and in June 2017.

He stepped in for his father Philip in 2017 after the duke fell ill with an infection, two months before he retired from public duties.

It is the first time the Queen has conducted an engagement outside of Windsor Castle since her husband died – and only the second time she has been at Buckingham Palace since she retreated to Windsor in March last year during the first lockdown.

She briefly visited when she travelled to London to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey last November.

Philip, the nation’s longest reigning consort, spent decades accompanying the monarch to the grand occasion at Parliament, sitting on an ornate golden throne at his wife’s side. 

The Queen has been continuing with her work as sovereign at Windsor Castle as she mourns the loss of her beloved husband of 73 years.

The Queen marks the beginning of the parliamentary session by delivering the Queen’s Speech, which sets out the Government’s legislative plans.

The State Opening of Parliament is usually the most colourful event of the parliamentary year and is steeped in tradition and customs dating back centuries.

But because of the pandemic, the pomp and ceremony has been reduced in 2021 to prevent any spread of coronavirus.

MPs and members of the House of Lords will have to wear masks throughout unless they are exempt, and everyone present will have to take a Covid test beforehand and only be allowed to attend if they have a negative result.

Significantly fewer politicians and peers will be there compared with previous years and no diplomatic or non-parliamentary guests have been invited, with just 108 people attending, including the Queen, rather than up to 600 as is the norm.

There will 74 people in the chamber, including the monarch, Charles, Camilla, the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer, representatives from the House of Lords and House of Commons and those involved in the ceremonial procession.

There will also be 17 members of the Lords and 17 MPs in the Royal Gallery.

Discussions took place with the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England to ensure the event was Covid-secure, with limited attendance, social distancing, masks, good hand hygiene and Covid testing incorporated into the proceedings.