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Shortly, you’ll see a woman dressed in black, wearing a gold chain and wielding a ceremonial staff.

As strange as this might seem, it’s all part of a ceremony steeped in ritual.

The woman, Sarah Clarke, holds the post of Black Rod, who is a senior officer in the House of Lords, responsible for controlling access to the chamber.

Black Rod is the Monarch's representative in the Lords and is best known for the State Opening of Parliament, knocking on the door of the House of Commons to summon MPs for the Queen's Speech.

When Black Rod summons MPs, she (or he) has the door to the Commons slammed in her face, symbolising the rights of Parliament and its independence from the monarch.

To gain entry, Black Rod has to strike the door three times.

Led by the prime minister and leader of the opposition, MPs then follow Black Rod to the House of Lords to watch the speech.

Today marks a "huge moment" for Prince Charles as he delivers the Queen's Speech for the first time, says Emily Nash, royal editor at Hello magazine.

He is carrying out perhaps "the most important function the Queen has" she says, adding Prince William - who is also set to be in attendance alongside his father - will be watching with "keen interest".

However, the ceremony has been reshuffled in a way that makes clear that the Queen is still "very much in charge", embodied by the presence of the Imperial Crown in her absence.

"It's still there saying she is control, but [the Princes] are there to represent her today," says Nash.

Prince Charles, with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William have arrived by car at the Palace of Westminster. They are making their way to the Robing Room.

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The Imperial State Crown, Great Sword of State and Cap of Maintenance are all symbols of the supremacy of the Monarchy.

The Imperial State Crown is rarely seen, mostly during state openings of Parliament or coronations. It is not seen in public otherwise.

Prince William has arrived at the House of Lords.

Reality Check

Policing Minister Kit Malthouse was asked on the BBC’s Today programme whether the government would impose a windfall tax on oil and gas companies to help people struggling to pay fuel bills.

He replied: “Don’t forget, they already pay double the corporation tax that others do”.

Is that true?

It's true they are subject to higher rates of tax, but that's not the whole story.

Oil and gas companies in the North Sea are subject to 30% corporation tax on their profits and a supplementary 10% rate on top.

Other companies pay corporation tax at 19%

But oil companies also pay less tax if they are investing and some years the government pays more money in tax relief to oil and gas operators than it receives from them in taxes.

BP and Shell both received more money from the government than they paid every year from 2015 to 2020 except 2017, when Shell paid more than it received.

Asked to comment, the Treasury highlighted £375bn of tax North Sea oil and gas companies have paid since the late 1960s.

You can read more about windfall taxes here.

Sean Coughlan
BBC News, royal correspondent

Is this a glimpse of the future for such major royal events, with Prince Charles stepping in for the Queen at the State Opening?

It follows a pattern since the Queen started to struggle with her mobility last autumn.

Since then Charles has taken on the main role in many set-piece royal occasions, including Remembrance Sunday, the Commonwealth Service and the Maundy Service.

The State Opening is one of the biggest constitutional moments for the head of state and the fact that the Queen hasn’t missed this for 59 years suggests the major significance of handing it over.

Although the Queen has been carrying out duties from Windsor Castle, the only public event she has attended this year outside of royal residences has been Prince Philip’s thanksgiving service.

Prince Charles and Prince William are opening Parliament in their roles as “counsellors of state”, the four senior royals allowed to act on behalf of the monarch.

It raises the issue once again that the other two counsellors are Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, who are no longer working royals.

If Prince Charles or William had been unable to attend, for instance if they had Covid or were abroad, it could make for some tricky constitutional questions.

The royal procession may not have started yet, but there's been plenty of action already at the Palace Westminster ahead of the speech.

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The Imperial State Crown has arrived at the House of Lords.

Cars left Buckingham Palace a short while ago carrying the Imperial State Crown, the Great Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance.

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The Queen's absence from today's opening of Parliament represents the transition between generations in the Royal Family, says Victoria Howard, editor of royal website The Crown Chronicles.

Most significant is the involvement of Prince Charles in delivering the Queen's speech for the first time, but also the presence of Prince William.

Together they are due to sit either side of the empty throne. As councillors of state they can take over monarchical duties from the Queen, who will be watching on from Windsor castle.

"We are in the latter years of the Queen's reign now and these mobility issues she is having a result of her advancing age," Howard says.

"Seeing Prince Charles and William together... it's a symbol of that transition, a very visual representation of that advancement."

Is Boris Johnson's cost of living plan realistic?published at 10:53 British Summer Time 10 May 2022

10:53 BST 10 May 2022

Faisal Islam
BBC Economics Editor

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Boris Johnson wants the UK to grow its way out of the cost of living crisis rather than spend its way out of it.

This is a very important line being drawn between the government’s treatment of the pandemic emergency and the current sharp rise in energy prices and bills.

But is this really possible?

Certainly, creating the conditions for high-skill, high-wage growth will underpin rises in living standards for years to come. The jobs market has been the ray of light in current economic challenges.

But there is an issue of timing here - long-term growth agendas do not solve immediate challenges. And an issue of expectation - that the public may believe that the cost of living issues do require more emergency help from Downing Street.

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The speech is written by the government for the Queen (or in this case Prince Charles) to read.

It sets out the legislation that the government aims to introduce to parliament, and often mentions “other measures” that ministers will bring forward.

This allows the government flexibility to introduce other bills in the future if they choose to.

There is no set time limit for the speech but it usually lasts about 10 minutes.

You can read more about what might be in the speech here.

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The grandeur of the Queen’s Speech will be back today, with all the usual ceremonial trappings.

But the speech will look different for one main reason: the Queen will not be in attendance, for only the third time in her 70-year reign.

Instead, Prince Charles will deliver the speech on the Queen’s behalf.

The 96-year-old monarch has mobility problems and has had to cancel a number of recent public appearances.

Until Monday evening Buckingham Palace had been saying the Queen hoped to attend, but has now confirmed she will not go to the ceremony in Westminster, because of "episodic mobility problems".

Prince Charles and Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, have jointly been given the authority to open Parliament in her absence.

Kevin Peachey
Personal finance correspondent

A range of factors are combining to raise the cost of living – a financial squeeze that is set to tighten as the year goes on.

Chief among them is the cost of energy.

Domestic gas and electricity bills have already gone up by about £700 a year, with a further increase expected in October.

Businesses face bigger energy costs too, and may well pass them on via higher prices in shops.

That is why the Bank of England warned prices could be rising at 10% a year by the end of the year – the fastest rate since 1982.

The increase is extremely unlikely to be matched by rising pay and benefits by then.

While the cost of living will undoubtedly feature in the Queen’s Speech, don’t expect too much in terms of policy detail.

The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has already hinted that any additional help to pay energy bills would not come until the autumn, despite calls from charities and energy suppliers to act now.

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The State Opening is the main ceremonial event of the parliamentary calendar.

This is what's on the agenda:

Carriage procession

The event starts with a carriage procession, escorted by the Household Cavalry, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster.

Royal procession

Usually, the Queen then leads the royal procession into Parliament and the House of Lords, with the Imperial State Crown carried in front of her. But as the Queen won’t be attending this year, Prince Charles will fulfil her ceremonial duties.

Summons

Once Prince Charles arrives in the Lords, a senior officer - known as the Black Rod - will be sent to summon MPs from the House of Commons. MPs will then enter the chamber to listen to the speech.

Queen's Speech

Prince Charles will read out the speech, written by the government, in the House of Lords.

Prince Charles leaves

When Prince Charles exits the chamber, a new parliamentary session will begin and Parliament can get back to work. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a statement about the speech and MPs will debate its contents.

Alex Forsyth
Political correspondent

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Following a bruising set of local election results and with questions about the prime minister's leadership, the Queen's Speech is meant to be a relaunch moment for Boris Johnson.

He will try to convince Conservative MPs and the country he can deliver on his promises, and with the next general election expected within two years it's one of the last chances to set out a legislative plan to do so.

The cost of living is said to be at the "forefront" of the prime minister's mind - he has promised measures to drive economic growth and ease the burden on families and businesses.

With Labour set to claim the government lacks ideas and action on the cost of living, Boris Johnson's challenge will be persuading his party and voters that in this Queen's Speech, he does have some answers.

The cost of living is the issue that is top of voters' minds and the government recognises that.

"I know the chancellor and the prime minister are having intensive conversations about what more we can do immediately to help with the cost of living crisis," Policing Minister Kit Malthouse has said.

He told BBC Breakfast earlier today that the UK "can't spend our way out of this problem, we have to grow our way out".

"We are very aware of the fact... that people are struggling," he said.

The UK has to be "careful" with windfall taxes, as energy companies need to invest in British energy security, he said.

Mr Malthouse also told the programme that elements of the Policing Bill, removed by the House of Lords earlier this year, would be reintroduced as a new Public Order Bill.

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Yes.

About two hours after the speech is delivered, MPs reassemble in the House of Commons to begin debating its contents.

After introductory speeches by two MPs, the prime minister give more details on the speech to the Commons, setting out his government’s agenda.

The leader of the opposition, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, then gets the chance to respond, before other MPs contribute.

The government's lawmaking plans for the year ahead are due to be set out in the Queen's Speech.

The speech is expected to pledge to cut the cost of living, address regional inequalities, and boost economic growth, with 38 parliamentary bills unveiled.

For example the speech is likely to include the following areas:

• Facilitating changes to EU regulations that were kept in UK law after Brexit, and also indications about Northern Ireland's post-Brexit border arrangements
• A bill on the government's energy strategy, which includes building more nuclear power stations
• A British bill of rights to replace the Human Rights Act, aimed at strengthening protections for free speech
• Making it easier to allow government ministers to overrule Parole Board decisions on releasing the most serious offenders
• Legislation to make it easier to stop allies of Vladimir Putin laundering money in the UK, and to seize criminals' crypto-assets
• The privatisation of Channel 4

Read more:What might be in the Queen's Speech?

Jonny Dymond
BBC royal correspondent

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Prince Charles standing in for the Queen today brings into open constitutional ground what has been quietly recognised by some in the palace for a while now - that the country and the monarchy is in a period of transition.

The Queen remains the head of state. Today she delegates her role in the state opening.

This is not a regency, but many of her public duties in recent months have been carried out by the Prince of Wales from Remembrance Day to the Maundy Service.

Today the prince will not wear the Robes of State nor the Imperial State Crown.

He will not sit on the throne that for seven decades the Queen has occupied.

But this is a moment as the monarch’s most important constitutional duty passes, this year at least, from sovereign to heir.