Queen Elizabeth II delegated one of her most important public duties to Prince Charles on Tuesday, underscoring the increasingly central role the heir to the crown is taking as his mother prepares to celebrate 70 years on the throne.

Charles presided over the state opening of Parliament and delivered the Queen’s Speech laying out the government’s legislative program. The event is a symbol of the monarch’s constitutional role as head of state and is accompanied by centuries of tradition designed to demonstrate the strength of Britain’s political institutions.

The queen’s decision to delegate her role to Charles is likely to be seen by the public as evidence that a transition is underway, with the 96-year-old monarch remaining on the throne but turning over more responsibilities to her eldest son.

The choreography of the day emphasized a queen who was absent and yet still present. Her throne had been removed, but in its place the Imperial State Crown sat propped on a pillow. Charles, wearing the uniform of an admiral of the fleet, glittered in gold braid rather than sweeping ermine robes.

He was flanked by his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, and his son, Prince William. It was, in essence, all about the dynasty.

“I think the emphasis here was clearly on continuity, a symbolic presence of Elizabeth II, if not a physical presence, and also what the future will likely look like,” said Ed Owens, a royal historian and author of “The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media and the British Public 1932-1953.″

What is the Queen's Speech?

The speech is delivered during the formal opening of each session of Parliament and lays out the government’s legislative program.

It is written by the elected government, currently led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and is read out to a joint meeting of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The monarch traditionally arrives for the event in a horse-drawn carriage, sits on the Sovereign’s Throne in the House of Lords and wears the Imperial State Crown.

But Charles, 73, arrived by car and sat not on the sovereign’s throne, which had been removed, but on the consort’s throne, which had been used by his late father, Prince Philip. In the place where the queen’s throne normally is placed, the Imperial State Crown was placed on a velvet cushion.

Charles delivered the speech in the third person, referring to “Her Majesty’s Government.”

Why did Elizabeth decide to skip the speech?

Buckingham Palace didn’t elaborate on what it called “episodic mobility problems,″ but the queen has had difficulty moving around in recent months. She has been seen using a cane on some occasions and Prince Andrew last month escorted her into Westminster Abbey for the memorial service for Prince Philip.

The event involves more than just reading the speech. There is a long walk to the House of Lords, stairs to the throne, and in past years the need to climb in and out of the carriage. All of these obstacles might offer challenges for the sovereign.

Elizabeth, who only recently recovered from a bout of COVID-19, is also preparing for four days of festivities celebrating her Platinum Jubilee that are scheduled for June 2-5.

Has the queen ever missed the speech before?

Yes. In 1959, when she was in the late stages of pregnancy with Prince Andrew, and again in 1963 before the birth of Prince Edward.

On both of those occasions, Parliament was opened by a royal commission, with the speech delivered by the presiding member.

So what's different this time?

This year the queen formally asked Prince Charles to deliver the speech under rules that allow her to delegate some of her duties to senior members of the royal family who are considered “counselors of state.” Counselors of state are required to act in pairs, so Charles was accompanied by his eldest son, Prince William.

Because the duties had been delegated to Charles, there was less disruption of the ceremonial aspects of the day.

The public should be able to take comfort from the continuity that Charles’ appearance represents, said Robert Hazell, a professor of government and the constitution at University College London.

“Yes, we are, in effect, preparing for a transition,″ he told The Associated Press. “The queen is in her mid-90s. She won’t live forever. We are nearing the last years of her reign, and during those last years, if she is no longer capable of putting in public appearances, Prince Charles can deputize on her behalf.”

Don't let them eat this cake.A slice of one of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cakes is up for auction 40 years after the nuptials were watched around the world.The iced slice came from one of the 23 official wedding cakes marking the July 29, 1981 marriage of the heir to the British throne and his shy 20-year-old bride. It features a marzipan base and a sugar onlay coat-of-arms, colored in gold, red, blue, and silver, on top.The piece of cake was given to Moyra Smith, a member of the Queen Mother’s household at Clarence House. Smith kept it in a floral cake tin and with a handmade label on the lid reading: "Handle with Care - Prince Charles & Princess Diane’s (sic) Wedding Cake" which she signed and dated 29/7/81.Smith's family sold the cake to a collector in 2008, but it is up for auction again Aug. 11. It is expected to fetch between 300 pounds ($418) and 500 pounds ($697), together with an order of service, ceremonial details and a royal wedding breakfast program."It appears to be in exactly the same good condition as when originally sold," Chris Albury, auctioneer and senior valuer at Dominic Winter Auctioneers, said. "But we advise against eating it."

LOS ANGELES — The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, has told Oprah Winfrey that she experienced suicidal thoughts and was concerned when the decision was made that her son wouldn't have a royal title.

Meghan, who is biracial, told Winfrey in the interview airing Sunday night in the U.S. that there were discussions among the royal family about how dark her son's skin would be.

Meghan told Winfrey in the interview airing Sunday that she “just didn’t see a solution” to the mental suffering she had experienced and told Harry she “didn’t want to be alive anymore.”

She said she went to a senior royal staffer and said she needed to get help for her mental health, but was told it would be bad for the family if she did.

She described the moment as a breaking point leading to her and Harry stepping aside from their royal duties.

Meghan however refused to criticize Queen Elizabeth II, saying she had “always been wonderful to me.”

Winfrey asked Harry whether he would have stepped down from his royal duties if he had never met Meghan. Harry replied that “I wouldn’t have been able to, because I myself was trapped as well” until ”the moment that I met Meg.”

Prince Harry denied blindsiding the queen with the news that he and Meghan were stepping down from their royal duties, saying it was preceded by several conversations.

He did however say that his father, Prince Charles, has stopped taking his calls.

Harry said his family cut him off financially in early 2020. Harry said “we did everything we did to make it work” and would never have left had the palace been supportive of Meghan.

The couple also revealed their second child, due later this summer, will be a girl. Their first child, son Archie, turns 2 in May.

Harry says “to have a boy and then a girl, what more can you ask for? But now we’ve got our family."

Winfrey's interview with Harry and his wife Meghan opened with the host saying no questions are off limits and that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not being paid for the televised special. Early moments focused on Meghan describing how naive she was about royal life, including that she “didn't fully understand what the job was" and spent nights "googling" because there was no formal training or effort to teach her.

The interview special aired on CBS and will be shown the following day in Britain.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Call 1-800-273-8255 if you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or mental distress.