Prince Charles and Prince William delivered the speech at the opening of Parliament on Tuesday on behalf of Queen Elizabeth. This was the first time in more than 60 years that the Queen had missed the event.

The UK’s heir-to-the-throne took over the 96-year-old Queen’s duty at the event, as she was reportedly unable to attend due to mobility issues. The 73-year-old Charles came to Westminster Palace to read the government’s legislative program.

Prior to the occasion, there was some confusion among members in the House of Lords Chamber as to why Charles was standing in front of a ceremonial throne. There was loud astonishment among those present when he came and seated on the throne.

The program for the day, which was distributed to those who had purchased seats to sit in the House of Lords, had not been changed to reflect the Queen’s absence, causing considerable ambiguity about how the day’s activities would proceed.

The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremony marked by pageantry and splendor, with the Queen arriving in a State Coach led by mounted troops in ceremonial costume and the Imperial State Crown and other regalia arriving in its own carriage.

The Queen dons the Robe of State before leading a procession to the higher house of parliament, the House of Lords, where she sits on a throne and formally starts a new session of parliament by giving a speech drafted by the government stating its legislative goals.

Only twice throughout her 70-year reign has the Queen missed the event: in 1959 and 1963 when she was expecting sons Andrew and Edward. The Queen, who has been absent from public appearances since being sent to hospital for an undisclosed illness last October, had written a ‘Letters Patent’ authorizing Charles and William to carry out her role at the constitutional ceremony.