Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest son of Elizabeth II. He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and he is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history.
He is also the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held that title since 1958. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace as the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. He was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun schools, which his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had attended as a child. Charles also spent a year at the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Australia.
Tuesday 10 May marked the State Opening of Parliament and only the third time since her coronation that the Queen wasn’t in attendance.
Previously Her Majesty, 96, missed State Openings in 1959 when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew, and in 1963 when she was pregnant with Prince Edward.This year, however, the Queen was represented by Prince Charles, with Prince William also in attendance.
On Monday 9 May, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The Queen continues to experience episodic mobility problems, and in consultation with her doctors has reluctantly decided that she will not attend the State Opening of Parliament tomorrow. "At Her Majesty’s request, and with the agreement of the relevant authorities, The Prince of Wales will read The Queen’s speech on Her Majesty’s behalf, with The Duke of Cambridge also in attendance." At 96, the Queen is very much past the age of retirement in the UK so it comes as no surprise when health issues are cited as reasons for her not attending events.
The word ‘episodic’ means “symptom-free periods that alternate with the presence of symptoms”. Thus the statement from Buckingham Palace means that the Queen occasionally struggles with mobility issues, but doesn't always have problems getting around.
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