Prince Charles and William took the role of Queen Elizabeth at the major set-piece ceremony.

At the opening of parliament on Tuesday, Prince Charles and Prince William took centre stage.

The 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth was replaced by the Prince of Wales and his son Prince William, who skipped the great set-piece event for the first time in nearly six decades.

At the Palace of Westminster, the 73-year-old future king read out the government’s legislative programme.

The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremony marked by great pomp and splendour, with the queen arriving in a State Coach led by mounted soldiers in ceremonial costume, and the Imperial State Crown and other regalia arriving in its own carriage.

The Queen has only missed the event twice in her 70-year reign, while she was pregnant with sons Andrew and Edward in 1959 and 1963.

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