Queen Elizabeth II opens Parliament alone in first public duty since Prince Philip’s death

Over the course of 10 minutes, the queen read her speech, which was written by the government.

The speech was Elizabeth’s first public, in-person event since Prince Philip’s funeral.

Elizabeth didn’t make the trip from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in the horse-drawn carriage and she did not wear the royal Robe of State, CNN reported.

This year the queen walked next to the Imperial State Crown and Black Rod ceremony, where Sarah Clarke, Lady Usher of the Black Rod, had the door of the Commons chamber slammed in her face, as is tradition to signify the independence of lawmakers, BBC News reported.

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