Queen Elizabeth and Charles
(Photo : Aaron Chown/Pool via REUTERS)
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles will be at the State Parliament's Opening ceremonies.
Queen Elizabeth will be going to her first official engagement since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, as the Parliament opens on May 11. Her Majesty will be performing her ceremonial and official duties to the country with her son, Prince Charles, by her side.

According to reports, Queen Elizabeth will also be joined by her daughter-in-law, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, for the said occasion. However, this year's ceremonies will be a scaled-down event and will be without the pomp and regalia due to the pandemic. Dignitaries attending the Parliament's opening have been asked to wear a day dress, including the queen, who will not be wearing her crown and robe nor carrying her scepter, unlike in previous ceremonies.

Every year, Queen Elizabeth attends the Parliament's opening as the Sovereign. In the past, she used to go to this obligation with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. Since Philip's retirement more than three years ago, however, it has been Charles who has accompanied his mother to the opening.

Queen Elizabeth is also expected to give a speech before the House of Lords. According to reports, Her Majesty will likely discuss the Environment Bill, the Animal Sentience Bill and the Worker's Rights.

Sources said those attending the ceremony will have to test negative for the virus and wear a mask to protect each other, especially Queen Elizabeth, even as majority of them may have already received their vaccinations.

Meanwhile, the queen has been conducting her virtual meetings in the last few weeks after her period of mourning. On Monday, Her Majesty spoke with the workers of the Royal Life Saving Society, where she recalled getting an award from the organization in 1941, when she was about 14 years old.

Queen Elizabeth appeared in such high spirits and even laughed at the thought that this was 80 years ago. She shared memories of that experience as she trained to be a life-saver (lifeguard) and didn't realize that she was one of the first recipients of the award.

The queen said that she worked hard to get the badge and was proud to wear it on her swimsuit. She added that a lot might have changed with the RLSS since then.

Days after Philip's death, Queen Elizabeth was carrying on with her duties and hosted an event for a retiring long-time staff member. Her Majesty, who has always put duty above everything, was also on the virtual meetings with various ambassadors of Commonwealth countries soon after her husband's funeral.