LIVE: Prince Charles delivers Queen's Speech at historic State Opening of Parliament

Prince Charles will deliver the Queen's Speech on his mother’s behalf in a historic, unprecedented move at today's State Opening of Parliament. The monarch, 96, reluctantly pulled out of the major ceremonial occasion – nearly 60 years after she last missed it – following advice from her royal doctors as she continues to experience “episodic mobility problems”.

As the Prince of Wales, 73, takes on the head of state’s major constitutional duty for the first time, the move will be interpreted as a symbolic and significant shift in his responsibilities as a future monarch. The Queen last missed a state opening of parliament in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and then Prince Edward, when her speech was read by the Lord Chancellor.

The Queen’s Speech is written by the government and sets out its agenda for Parliament’s new session. A government minister has said that it will outline new measures to “dynamise” the UK to ensure people can pay the bills amid the soaring cost of living.

READ MORE: Why is the Queen not doing the Queen's Speech and what will happen instead?

Policing minister Kit Malthouse declined to give much detail but insisted there will be “quite a lot of nice things coming in this box of chocolates” when asked about the contents of the Queen’s Speech. He added that while it is an “incredibly challenging” time for people, legislation can take “many months, sometimes over a year, before it hits the statute book”.

The speech is set to include a new crackdown on “guerrilla protests” with jail sentences of up to six months and unlimited fines for those who glue themselves to roads or “lock on” to public transport infrastructure. A total of 38 Bill swill be included in the speech.

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