King Charles's role at the State Opening of Parliament, from royal regalia to his speech

King Charles will deliver his first State Opening of Parliament speech as monarch today and is expected to pay tribute to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, during an event known for its custom, pomp and pageantry.

This will be Charles’s first King’s Speech since ascending to the throne last year, even though he delivered the Queen’s speech on behalf of his mother, in May 2022.

The late Queen presided over the State Opening of Parliament in person on 67 occasions during her reign, except in 1959, 1963, and 2022.

Now King Charles will be embracing traditions that have been in place since the 16th century for the first time as monarch.

Here Express.co.uk takes a look at the key details from today’s major political event.

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The State Opening of Parliament marks the formal start of the parliamentary year and sets out the government’s proposed policies and legislation for the 2023-24 session.

It takes place in the House of Lords chamber on the first day of a new session, traditionally held in November.

The event, which is held in front of both Houses of Parliament, is the only regular occasion when the three constituent parts of Parliament – the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons – meet.

Today, for the first time in four years, the Chamber will be packed with 600 guests, ready to listen to the first King’s Speech in more than 70 years.

The speech follows a procession which will see Charles travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster by carriage, where he will use the Sovereign’s Entrance, reserved for the monarch.

The King will then proceed to the throne in the House of Lords where he will read out his speech.

The King’s Speech, formally known as the “Speech from the Throne”, is a speech written by the government and delivered by the monarch.

It contains the government’s agenda for the coming parliamentary session and outlines policies and proposed legislation.

The speech is traditionally written on goatskin vellum, and presented on bended knee for the monarch to read by the Lord Chancellor, who produces the scroll from a satchel-like bag.

King Charles will be expected to read the entire speech in a neutral and formal tone, implying neither approval nor disapproval of the proposals of Rishi Sunak’s government.

MPs and peers in the House of Lords will traditionally listen to his speech in silence.

King Charles will be wearing the Imperial State Crown, which he wore after his Coronation ceremony back in May.

While the crown has existed in various forms in the past, the current version of it was commissioned in 1937 for the Coronation of King George VI and was worn by Queen Elizabeth II after her Coronation in 1953.

It is made of gold and contains 2,868 diamonds (1,363 brilliant-cut, 1,273 rose-cut and 142 table-cut), 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls and four rubies as well as 277 pearls.

Standout gems include the Black Prince’s Ruby, the Stuart Sapphire, the Cullinan II diamond and St Edward’s Sapphire.

The crown also has a purple velvet cap with an ermine border and is lined with white silk.

The Imperial State Crown weighs 1.06kg (2.3lbs) and it is unlikely that the King will be wearing the crown for the entire duration of the ceremony.

Queen Elizabeth last wore the Imperial State Crown in 2016 and after that it was carried on a cushion and placed on a table nearby.

After Charles arrives at the Houses of Parliament from Buckingham Palace, he will enter the robing room, where, along with the Imperial State Crown, he will put on the ceremonial Parliament Robe of State.

The robe features a long, crimson-red velvet train with gold embroidery

But the King will also be carrying the royal regalia during the ceremony, which include the Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of State.

The Cap of Maintenance is a ceremonial cap of crimson velvet lined with ermine, which is worn or carried by certain persons as a sign of nobility or special honour.

The Sword of State is a sword which symbolises the supreme power and authority of a monarch given by them God.

Even though this will be Charles’s first King’s Speech, he attended the State Opening of the Parliament in 2022, due to Queen Elizabeth’s frail health.

The late Queen was absent on the day due to “episodic mobility problems”, so King Charles, as Prince of Wales, and Prince William, as Duke of Cambridge, were appointed to open Parliament as Counsellors of State, with Charles reading the speech from the consort’s throne.