Andrew Marr: UK had 'eerie glimpse into next reign' after Queen missed parliament speech
10 May 2022, 18:06 | Updated: 10 May 2022, 18:28
Today gave Great Britain an "eerie glimpse into the next reign" as the Queen missed the state opening of parliament for the first time in over 50 years, Andrew Marr has said.
Opening LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, the presenter said: "It was a strange day. The state opening of Parliament always is - The gold stitched court dress, the wigs, the breeches, the lace cuffs, the buckled shoes, the processing, the air of genteel politeness between politicians who the rest of the year frankly loathe each other.
"It's never normal. But today was stranger than most. The person at the centre of it all was missing.
"For the first time in 59 years, No Queen. The Queen's Speech - basically a list of measures the government says it will do next, and more of those later- matters to the Queen very much.
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"Just days ago both Buckingham Palace and Number Ten insisted she’d be there. But she wasn't, just the Imperial State Crown carried along on a cushion with no head to rest on.
"The Prince of Wales turned up and read out her speech, giving us an eerie glimpse into the next reign.
Read more: Historic first as emotional Charles delivers Queen's Speech after Monarch pulls out
"Most people I talked to felt a bit unsettled. There was quiet talk around the palace of Westminster about the Regency Acts being dusted down and looked at again.
"In other words what to do do if the Queen can no longer effectively act as queen. Let's hope we are nowhere near that.
"In a little while I will be talking to politicians from across politics about the new laws the government wants.
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"The biggest thing missing was a response to the cost of living crisis though in his speech the Prime Minister hinted there would be more on this in the coming days - something that seemed to entirely puzzle the treasury.
"More on that later on, and we will hear the latest on the Northern Irish crisis and from the writer and star in a play featuring Donald Trump.
"But before we dig into the politics let's hear from a Royal observer and a constitutional expert about the Queen's Speech - minus the Queen."
