Queen Elizabeth II Opens Parliament With Prince Charles In 1st Royal Appearance Since Losing Philip

Queen Elizabeth II left Buckingham Palace along with her eldest son, Prince Charles, to deliver remarks at the House of Lords for the State Opening, as Parliament's work begins.

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Queen Elizabeth II was not alone when she offered remarks and opened Parliament. The longest reigning monarch in British history, 95, was joined by her eldest son, Prince Charles, 72, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 73, on May 11 for the State Opening of Parliament at the House of Lords. The occasion marked Queen Elizabeth’s first official engagement since the loss of her beloved husband of more than 70 years, Prince Philip, in April.

The monarch sat alone, wearing a lavender ensemble with dashes of yellow, including hat. Along with the queen was The Imperial State Crown, signifying her position as the Head of State. Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla notably wore masks during their appearance with the sovereign. The couple sat just a few yards to Queen Elizabeth’s left, demonstrating their respective roles as senior members of the Royal Family, who have been stepping up to be by her side since the Duke of Edinburgh’s death at the age of 99 on April 9.

During her remarks, which you can watch below, Queen Elizabeth stated that her “government’s priority is to deliver a national recovery from the pandemic that makes the United Kingdom healthier, stronger, and more prosperous than before.” The monarch continued to highlight how the government would continue their recovery work for the nation. The occasion was a quiet one, but it’s not the first of Queen Elizabeth’s duties that she has returned to since her husband’s passing.

Watch the #QueensSpeech live in the #HouseofLords on Twitter from 11.25am. Find out more about #StateOpening, the start of Parliament’s working year

— House of Lords (@UKHouseofLords) May 11, 2021

On April 27, just 10 days following Prince Philip’s funeral, Queen Elizabeth held her first audience since her period of mourning. The monarch appeared to be in good spirits, smiling brightly while meeting with Her Excellency Mrs. Ivita Burmistre, Ambassador from the Republic of Latvia and Her Excellency Mrs. Sara Affoue Amani, Ambassador from the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. The audience was held virtually, meaning that the queen did not attend in-person, but instead made her appearance via video call.

Although the past month has surely been emotional for the Royal Family, they have remained resolute in standing by the queen’s side. Immediate members of the Royal Family attended Prince Philip’s funeral on April 17, including Prince Harry, who later returned to California to reunite with his wife Meghan Markle, who is expecting the couple’s second child, a girl, sometime this summer. It’s clear that the queen is receiving as much support as possible from her family members, and fans of the Royal Family look forward to seeing them come together in the time to come.