The Queen delivered the speech written for her by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a State Opening of Parliament ceremony bared of all its regalia. The monarch wore an aqua dress with a matching hat and white gloves. On her arms, the Queen carried her iconic black handbag with matching shoes. 

Prince Charles accompanied the Queen to the Houses of Parliament, as he had previously done in 2017 and in October this year. 

The Queen left Buckingham Palace with Prince Charles in the monarch’s Bentley earlier this morning, in a low-key procession. 

Roads in and around Westminster have been closed earlier today to allow the Queen a smooth arrival, with buses being diverted or ending their route early. 

The monarch is usually taken to Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage, but today the ceremony is stripped down of much of its regalia. 

This is partly due to the fact that the Queen delivered a Queen’s Speech on October 14, shortly before Parliament agreed on holding a December election.

Similarly, the Queen was part of a stripped back ceremony in 2017, following the snap election called by the then-Prime Minister Theresa May.

As part of this dressed-down ceremony, the Queen is not wearing any crown or diadem and the iconic red ermine cape.  

But the Queen would have been unlikely to wear the imperial state crown even if this ceremony featured all the regalia. 

In October, commentators said the Queen was wearing the Diamond Diadem rather than the crown because of the weight of the imperial state crown – which amounts to more than one kilogram. 

Just like the Queen, Prince Charles is also not wearing his uniform and medals.

Prince Charles has been attending the State Opening of Parliament since 2017, taking the place of Prince Philip.

The Duke of Edinburgh has accompanied the Queen to the House of Lords for decades, until his retirement from public duties in 2017.

The Queen will deliver the speech by 11.30am – with the NHS and Brexit expected to be two of the major points of Mr Johnson’s Government’s programme.

But, as the speech is expected to contain more than 20 bills, the Queen is also likely to detail her Government’s programme regarding education and infrastructure.  

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