Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II will not be able to attend the opening ceremony of the new legislative year of the British Parliament this year.
Prince Charles and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, were jointly empowered to open Parliament on behalf of the Queen at the inauguration Tuesday, the palace said in a statement.
Prince Charles will speak on behalf of the Queen.
In England, it’s a centuries-old tradition for the king or queen to open Parliament and deliver a speech to announce the government’s plans for the new legislative year.
It will be the first time the Queen has missed the ceremony since 1963.
Elizabeth II, 96, had to cancel her participation in a number of public events recently due to mobility issues.
By Monday evening, Buckingham Palace was saying that the Queen hoped to attend the opening of Parliament; but has now confirmed that the Queen will not attend the ceremony at Westminster due to “episodic mobility issues”.
The statement said the Queen decided not to attend the ceremony after consulting her doctors.
The only public event that Elizabeth II attended outside of the royal residences this year was the gratitude ceremony held in March for her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away last year.
The Queen is thought to be planning further appointments this week, including regular meetings with the Prime Minister and the Privy Council, by videoconference or telephone, and some private meetings.
So far in her 70th year on the throne, the Queen has been unable to attend the inauguration of Parliament only twice, in 1959 and 1963, due to her pregnancy.