As 2022 continued, some symbolic moments took place amidst the royal business as usual. A different voice rang through Parliament but as the first events of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations took place, Queen Elizabeth II was centre stage.
A Prince’s voice for a Queen’s speech
Queen Elizabeth II was unable to attend the State Opening of Parliament in May 2022 and so the much talked about Counsellors of State were brought into action. The then Prince of Wales, Charles, read the Speech from the Throne, but the heir was only able to open Parliament because of his own heir. Prince William had to be present as two Counsellors of State were required to carry out the Monarch’s duties on her behalf. The Imperial State Crown sat near to the throne. It would a truly symbolic image of a year when the United Kingdom would be reigned by both a King and a Queen.
All smiles at a special Jubilee event
Queen Elizabeth II had to choose which events to attend as mobility issues continued to affect her public life but May 2022 brought one of her favourite moments and she was there to enjoy it in all its glory. The Windsor Horse Show was a Jubilee special and the royal passion for all things equestrian was on show with Elizabeth II attending many of the events including a spectacular Gallop Through History at the end of the extravaganza. However, the most moving moment came when her youngest granddaughter, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, steered Prince Philip’s carriage through the arena.
A floral celebration of Queen Elizabeth II
With just days to go until her Platinum Jubilee weekend, Queen Elizabeth II took to a rather unusual mode of royal transport to enjoy another tribute to her historic reign. The Chelsea Flower Show had plenty of Jubilee spirit and the Platinum Queen enjoyed it from the back of a motorised buggy. The celebrations for seventy years of reign were well and truly under way.
