Queen outlines U.K. government agenda in scaled-down speech
Elizabeth's son, Prince Charles, accompanies her to Parliament opening as Prince Philip hospitalized
Queen Elizabeth outlined the government's legislative program in a speech to Parliament on Wednesday after the prime minister slimmed down her plans and promised "humility" in negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union following a disastrous election that cost the ruling Conservative Party its majority.
The Queen carried out her royal duties at the ceremonial opening of the new Parliament despite the announcement that her husband, Prince Philip, was hospitalized. Buckingham Palace said Philip, 96, was admitted a hospital as a precaution for treatment of an infection.
His rare absence from the state opening of Parliament added to the solemnity of an occasion cherished by the British people and replete with historical tradition. While the queen reads the Queen's Speech to lawmakers, it is written by the prime minister and her staff and offers a broad brush of goals for the future.
Eight of 27 bills outlined in the speech deal with the complex process of Brexit. It's also notable that May omitted several controversial policies touted in the Conservative election campaign, including plans to change funding for the care of older people, which opponents dubbed the "dementia tax."
There was also no mention of U.S. President Donald Trump's invitation for a state visit, which sparked criticism from all parties.
May called the snap election expecting an overwhelming victory that would silence dissenters and give her a mandate to push ahead with plans to leave the European Customs Union and drastically limit immigration as Britain leaves the EU. Instead, she lost seats and still hasn't secured a deal with another party to ensure Parliament will back the government's agenda.
"The election result was not the one I hoped for, but this government will respond with humility and resolve to the message the electorate sent," May said in a statement. "We will work hard every day to gain the trust and confidence of the British people, making their priorities our priorities."
Normally the Queen's Speech repeats key legislative promises made during the election campaign, but many voters rejected the prime minister's plans for a so-called hard Brexit and other controversial policies.
Signalling the importance of Brexit negotiations with the EU, which will last until the spring of 2019, the speech set out the government's program for two years, rather than one.
The prime minister, who had campaigned with the slogan "Brexit means Brexit," softened her tone in comments released ahead of the speech.
"First, we need to get Brexit right," she said. "That means getting a deal which delivers the result of last year's referendum and does so in a way that commands maximum public support."
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Even before news of Prince Philip's illness, the government had announced that the speech would be delivered with less pageantry than normal a result of the timing of the snap election. For instance, the queen arrived at Parliament in a car, rather than a horse-drawn carriage, and delivered the speech in everyday dress, instead of the traditional royal robes.
The primary issue was scheduling. The state opening is taking place only days after another huge annual event, Trooping the Colour, a celebration of the Queen's birthday. Both ceremonies take weeks of preparation and planning, and it was deemed too difficult to prepare for two such events so close together.