OPENING TIME
What time is the State Opening of Parliament today?
THE State Opening is a major event in the parliamentary calendar normally attended by the Queen.
In 2022 it was announced that she wouldn't be attending for the first time in 59 years. But what is the event and what time does it start?
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What time is the State Opening of Parliament today?
The State Opening of Parliament will take place between 11am and 12.30pm today - Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
The Queen - or her substitute - arrives at the Houses of Parliament at 11.20am and will process to the House of Lords at 11.27am.
The Queen is seated on the throne to give the Queen's speech.
The speech, which normally happens once a year, usually in spring or following a general election, will normally last around 10 minutes, depending on the number of announcements and proposed laws contained in it.
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The speech will begin at 11.30am and will set out the Government’s agenda for the year ahead, following the May 5 local elections.
Who will open Parliament on Tuesday, May 10?
In 2022, heir to the throne Prince Charles will deliver the speech in place of Her Majesty.
Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen would not be attending the ceremony and the reading of the Queen's speech.
The Queen has mobility problems and has been forced to sit out a number of recent events.
According to the palace, she had been hoping to attend, but will not due to "episodic mobility problems".
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In consultation with her doctors, the 96-year-old decided reluctantly not to be present.
Heir to the throne Prince Charles and Prince William have been given the authority to open Parliament on the monarch's behalf as Counsellors of State.
What happens at the State Opening of Parliament?
The State Opening is a constitutional ceremony in which the government's agenda for the 2022-23 session is set out.
Proposed policies and legislation are outlined in the speech, which is written by the Government.
Beforehand the Queen traditionally travels from the Palace to Parliament in a procession, arriving at the Sovereign's Entrance.
There is then a Royal Procession to the House of Lords chamber, with symbols of her power and authority carried in front of her.
Normally, the Queen then sits in the Throne in the House of Lords and instructs the Lord Great Chamberlain to signal the Black Rod to summon MPs from the other house.
They then enter to listen to her read the speech.
Following the speech, a parliamentary session begins, and members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords debate the content of the speech.
In the Commons, members debate the legislative programme for several days and it's then voted on.
The Lords do so over five days, and then bills are introduced.
How can I watch the State Opening of Parliament?
You can watch coverage of the ceremony on .
The morning's events can also be seen in the video at the top of this article.
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BBC News and BBC Parliament coverage will start at 10.30am and continues until 12.15pm.
You can watch it online.
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