The Queen, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, presided over the Official Opening of the Session of Parliament in the Chamber of the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster in London on May 11th. This was a ‘dressed down’ version of the State Opening, devoid of pageantry and ceremony, due to the ongoing Pandemic. The last State Opening was also a ‘dressed down’ affair in 2019, coming two months after the previous State Opening. The State Opening was also the Queen’s first public Engagement since the Death of the Duke of Edinburgh last month.  Continue reading →