Is her two-and-a half pound crown now too much for the Queen? Monarch won't wear it, or her robes, for a low profile State Opening of Parliament

  • Her Majesty will arrive at Parliament in a car and without her crown on June 19 
  • Plans involve little of the usual pomp and circumstance of the Queen's Speech
  • The Queen typically arrives as part of a huge military and Royal procession 
  • But it has been ruled impossible just three days after the Trooping the Colour  

By Rebecca English, Royal Correspondent for the Daily Mail

Published: 08:31 EDT, 27 April 2017 | Updated: 02:52 EDT, 28 April 2017

The Queen will not wear her Imperial Crown or robes to the next State Opening of Parliament for the first time in more than 40 years.

As well as sporting ‘day dress’ and a hat, she will also break with tradition by arriving in an official car, as opposed to a carriage with full military escort.

Her crown – weighing two and a half pounds and containing 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires and 17 emeralds – will be carried into the Houses of Parliament, along with the ceremonial Great Sword of State and Cap of Maintenance, as a symbol of her authority. However, she will not wear it.

In an extremely rare change of tradition, the Queen (pictured centre at the 2013 State Opening) will now wear her crown and robes at a slimmed down ceremony 

In an extremely rare change of tradition, the Queen (pictured centre at the 2013 State Opening) will now wear her crown and robes at a slimmed down ceremony 

Her Majesty (pictured during the 2016 event) will also travel to the Palace of Westminster in her official car and not in a carriage procession 

Her Majesty (pictured during the 2016 event) will also travel to the Palace of Westminster in her official car and not in a carriage procession 

The decision will spark speculation that the monarch, who turned 91 last week, is keen to scale down gruelling ceremonial and state occasions in view of her advancing years.

Last night royal aides insisted the decision to stage a less formal State Opening of Parliament this year was not a ‘back door’ attempt to reduce one of the monarch’s more physically demanding official roles, and said she fully intends to return in her full regalia next year. 

They maintain the changes have been made necessary because of Theresa May’s snap general election on June 8.

As a result, the State Opening of Parliament has been hurriedly arranged for June 19, two days after Trooping the Colour, the annual celebration of the Queen’s official birthday.

It was deemed unfeasible and unrealistic for the military and the Royal Mews to stage two major events in such a short period of time.

Both events feature the monarch in a carriage procession accompanied by a Sovereign’s Escort from the Household Cavalry Regiment, with their route flanked by hundreds of servicemen acting as street liners.

With the loss of the procession, street liners and the carriage used to take the Imperial State Crown, the Cap of Maintenance and Great Sword of State to the Palace of Westminster, it is understood the decision was taken to scale back other ceremonial elements such as the Queen’s attire.

Her procession to the Chamber of the House of Lords, where she takes the throne and delivers her speech, will also be reduced, with no heralds.

The Palace announced that the Queen (pictured greeting officials at the 2015 ceremony) will wear 'day dress' and hat to the ceremony on June 19

The Palace announced that the Queen (pictured greeting officials at the 2015 ceremony) will wear 'day dress' and hat to the ceremony on June 19

The Palace said it was not possible for a full State Opening procession (pictured during rehearsals in 2015) to be planned and rehearsed just three days after the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony  

The Palace said it was not possible for a full State Opening procession (pictured during rehearsals in 2015) to be planned and rehearsed just three days after the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony  

A Whitehall source said: ‘For the sake of consistency and tone it was decided to scale down events inside the Palace of Westminster as well. It is intended that a full ceremonial event will be held next year.’

The last time such drastic changes were made was in 1974, after Edward Heath had called a snap general election.

On that occasion the event was so scaled back that the Imperial Crown and Instruments of State were not even taken to Westminster.

It is not clear, however, why the Queen cannot change into her official regalia in the robing room at Parliament upon arrival as she normally does.

In order to attend the State Opening the Queen has been forced to cancel the annual Order of the Garter Service, which sees her and senior members of the Royal Family parade through the streets of Windsor to mark the country’s most ancient order of chivalry.

But the timing does mean that she will be able to continue with her week at Royal Ascot – which starts the following day and is one of the highlights of her year – unimpeded.

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