Episodic mobility issues: Why the Queen is missing state opening of parliament

The Queen will miss the state opening of Parliament due to “episodic mobility problems,” Buckingham Palace announced on Monday 9 May.

This means that The Queen’s Speech will instead be delivered by the Prince of Wales as her throne will remain empty.

“The Queen continues to experience episodic mobility problems, and in consultation with her doctors has reluctantly decided that she will not attend the state opening of parliament tomorrow,” the palace said in a statement. “At Her Majesty’s request, and with the agreement of the relevant authorities, the Prince of Wales will read the Queen’s Speech on Her Majesty’s behalf, with The Duke of Cambridge also in attendance.”

The Queen’s “episodic mobility problems” stretch back to last autumn and have led to her cancelling a run of major engagements over the last seven months.

In October 2021, the monarch used a walking stick at a Westminster Abbey service – the first time her majesty had done so at a major event.

A week later, after a busy autumn programme, The Queen was ordered to rest by doctors and advised to cancel a trip to Northern Ireland.

The Queen was admitted to the hospital for “preliminary investigations” and had her first overnight stay in hospital for eight years on 20 October 2021.

The next day she was back at her desk at Windsor, carrying out light duties.

But concern for the royal’s health mounted when she pulled out of more high-profile engagements, including the Cop26 climate change summit and the Festival of Remembrance, with Buckingham Palace saying The Queen had been advised to continue to rest and to not carry out any official visits.

Elizabeth II was intent on attending the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, but missed this due to a sprained back.

After that, for more than three months, The Queen has carried out only light duties, including virtual and face-to-face audiences in the confines of Windsor Castle.