Queen Camilla amused royal enthusiasts with her playful attempt to speed up King Charles during yesterday’s State Opening of Parliament.
In a light-hearted moment caught on camera, the 78-year-old Queen gently tapped the King’s arm, suggesting he wrap up his chat with an attendee as they were about to exit the Palace of Westminster.
As they made their way out, Camilla was seen walking briskly ahead of Charles, who seemed engrossed in adjusting his State Admiral of the Fleet Royal Navy cap atop his head at the Sovereign Entrance.
The charming interaction between the royal couple amused fans on social media platform X, where they humorously remarked on Camilla’s subtle encouragement for the King to pick up the pace.
This isn’t the first instance of Camilla playfully nudging Charles along. In March, during a visit to Cornwall, she was observed gently tapping his arm with two fingers, signaling him to move on.
In a bid to draw his attention away from a conversation with a staff member, she continued her gentle tapping, eventually turning him towards a commemorative cake with enthusiastic insistence.
The ‘cute’ and ‘relatable’ moment between the King and Queen, who have been married more than 20 years, delighted royal fans, who fondly described the interaction as a central part of the ‘marriage playbook’.
Charles and Camilla attended the State Opening of Parliament yesterday to set out the priorities for Sir Keir Starmer’s government in the King’s Speech.
Leaving Buckingham Palace in the Irish State Coach pulled by six grey horses, the King and Queen were accompanied by a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry as they travelled in the carriage procession to the House of Lords.
Video footage captured Her Majesty, 78, lightly tapping her husband’s arm to signal that he needed to end his conversation with one of the attendees as the royal couple prepared to leave the Palace of Westminster
Camilla was then seen striding well ahead of Charles, who seemed preoccupied with placing his State Admiral of the Fleet Royal Navy cap on his head as their Majesties departed from the Sovereign Entrance
The Irish State Coach – made in Ireland and exhibited in 1853 at the Great Industrial Exhibition in Dublin – is a closed carriage with dark brown body panels decorated with golden scrolls.
The coach-maker was hoping to attract the attention of two distinguished visitors – and when Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert saw it, they bought it.
It went on to become one of Queen Victoria’s favourite carriages and she used it often after her husband’s death.
In the Robing Room at the House of Lords, Charles put on the Imperial State Crown and his crimson Robe of State, which was made for his grandfather George VI’s coronation in 1937.
Camilla, meanwhile, stepped out in a Fiona Clare white dress and donned the historic George IV State Diadem tiara.
Commissioned in 1820, it contains 1,333 diamonds and has been worn by her Majesty twice before: to the State Openings of Parliament in both 2023 and 2024.
A sudden hush descended on peers as the King arrived in Parliament. He and the Queen processed up the stairs after he had left his carriage.
The Lord Chancellor David Lammy was seen ahead of them and a fanfare was played as the King and Queen left the robing room, processing through the Royal Gallery.
Charles and Camilla attended the State Opening of Parliament yesterday to set out the priorities for Sir Keir Starmer’s government in the King’s Speech
Camilla stepped out in a Fiona Clare white dress and donned the historic George IV State Diadem tiara for the occasion
As he arrived in the Lords, wearing the crown after being robed, the King sat on the throne alongside Camilla. He was accompanied by six pages of honour, four of which are his, and two for the Queen.
Black Rod Ed Davis, the senior Lords officer, also arrived at the Commons to summon MPs to listen to the King’s Speech.
Per tradition, the door to the chamber was slammed in Black Rod’s face, who must bang the door three times before being given permission to enter.
During his speech, the monarch said the Government will take ‘urgent action to tackle antisemitism and ensure all communities feel safe’ and ‘defend the British values of decency, tolerance and respect for difference under our common flag’.
The King’s Speech ran to 1,285 words, making it one of the longest monarch’s speeches at a State Opening of Parliament this century. It was also one of the most legislation-heavy speeches of recent years, containing a total of 37 Bills.
