Queen Elizabeth is set to perform a "dressed down" State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 43 years.
The 91-year-old monarch will take a less formal approach to the ceremonial event – which marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom – because the original plans have suffered a major disruption due to the rapid turn-around of the surprise general election, set to take place in June.
The changes to the royal schedule – which were announced by Buckingham Palace on Thursday (28.04.17) – will see the State Opening of Parliament take place on June 19, with the Order of the Garter service, which had originally been arranged for the same day, now cancelled.
A spokesman for the Palace said in a statement: "To allow Her Majesty to attend in support of the parliamentary and constitutional process, The Queen’s programme of engagements has been revised.
"As a result, the annual service for the Order of the Garter, which had been due to take place on 19th June, has been cancelled. Knights of the Garter and others due to attend have been informed.
"Additionally, owing to the revised calendar, the State Opening of Parliament will take place with reduced ceremonial elements."
The dressed down affair will see Queen Elizabeth wear a hat and a day dress instead of the traditional Imperial State Crown or robes, whilst her husband Prince Philip, 95, will don a morning coat rather than his full naval uniform.
The ceremony will mark only the second time in the Queen’s reign that she has performed a scaled back version of the event, with the first being 43 years ago in March 1974 when Labour leader Harold Wilson defeated Edward Heath in a snap election.
The State Opening of Parliament will now take place just two days after the Trooping of the Colour event on June 17, with the less formal version of the ceremony likely being due to a lack of time to rehearse the intricate affair.
Queen Elizabeth to perform ‘dressed down’ State Opening of Parliament
