Queen’s Absence Casts Shadow on Johnson’s Reboot

“Queen Elizabeth II will miss the state opening of Parliament for only the third time on Tuesday, casting a shadow over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s attempt to reboot his flagging U.K. premiership,” Bloomberg reports.

“The 96-year-old monarch is suffering ‘episodic mobility problems’ and the Queen’s Speech laying out the government’s agenda for the next parliamentary session will now be delivered for the first time by her son and heir, Prince Charles.”

“The Queen has pulled out of several public events in recent months, and has also been seen walking with the aid of a stick. She’s previously skipped the near-annual parliamentary set-piece just twice in her 70 years on the throne — both because of pregnancy. The announcement that she’ll miss it again provides Britons with a reminder that the reign of the country’s longest-ruling monarch won’t last forever.”