It’s the image of the day: Charles III makes his first speech as King in Parliament on behalf of the Government of Rishi Sunak. With his intervention the parliamentary course begins at the Palace of Westminster. Among the measures he has launched, toughening sentences and combating immigration. There has also been a mention for his “dear mother.” Historical also the image of Camillawith the State crown of George IV, next to the monarch, who was wearing the Imperial Crown.
The last time a male king spoke on behalf of the Government was in 1950, with Jorge VI. For seven decades, the late Elizabeth II was in charge of delivering a symbolic speech that began the parliamentary course at the Palace of Westminster, a witness that is now echoed by her son and which has once again had the main political leaders as spectators, including the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Carlos III has appeared accompanied by Queen Camilla to outline more than twenty laws, in a speech without major announcements or surprises that has maintained some of the main lines that the Executive had already been advancing, for example with “tougher sentences” for serious crimes or stricter surveillance protocols in public places.
The speech, the first of Sunak’s era as premier and perhaps the last if a general election is called next year, included allusions to issues of global geopolitics: “My ministers will work closely with international partners to support Ukraine, strengthen NATO and address the most pressing security challenges.”
Within these challenges, the Government has included “the consequences of the acts of terrorism against the people of Israel”, while calling to “facilitate” the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and to “support the cause of peace and stability in the Middle East”.
The prime minister has defended that the speech read by Charles III outlines measures for “a better United Kingdom”, while for the Labor opposition, favorite in the polls, it summarizes “a rather pathetic program of fixes”, in some initial assessments prior to a wider debate in the House of Commons, the BBC reports.
At street level, however, the event has also generated anti-monarchy mobilizations, with groups gathered in front of Westminster with banners that read ‘Not my king’ and which have already become a recurring theme in the main public events. of the British royal family since the death of Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022.