Prince Charles takes on the role of the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament

• United Kingdom Elizabeth II will be absent from the Queen's Speech "due to mobility problems"

Prince Charles has assumed the role of

for the first time in the Queen's Speech protocol that traditionally marks the opening of the sessions of the British Parliament.

For the first time in 59 years, the monarch has missed her annual appointment in Westminster due to "mobility problems" and has triggered speculation about a possible regency for her son.

In fact, his absence from the Queen's Speech has forced the invocation of section 6 of the Regency Act 1937, which provides for

.

Prince Charles, sheltered by Camilla of Cornwall, occupied the Queen's throne during the reading of the Government's programmatic speech, full of laws related to Brexit and with an obligatory reference to "support for

" in these critical moments.

Dressed in military uniform, the Prince of Wales entered the House of Lords with the utmost official pomp and preceded by the Queen's crown, placed beside him on a table.

Prime Minister

and Opposition Labor Leader

then took their seats in a relaxed tone.

"The Queen remains in command, but several constitutional experts point out that this may be a first sign towards the regency," writes royal chronicler Robert Hardman in

Elizabeth II, 96, is preparing to celebrate on 2 June the

in the Platinum Jubilee, the occasion that could mark the transition towards the transfer of functions to his heir.

The announcement of his absence on Westminster's most important day was made on Monday afternoon and the decision was not made until that same day.

"The Queen continues to experience episodic mobility problems and in consultation with her doctors

," read a terse statement from Buckingham Palace.

The monarch, who regularly uses a cane, contracted Covid in winter and she herself confessed that she felt quite bad.

"I can't move," she spontaneously confessed in one of her first public acts, after having suspended her schedule for more than three months.

Even so, Buckingham Palace reported that the Queen will continue with her duties and that in fact she will be quite busy this week with formal events at Windsor Castle, her usual residence since she left Buckingham Palace two years ago in the first confinement of the Covid.

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• Prince Charles of England

• Coronavirus

• Brexit

• Elizabeth II of England