King Charles III performed his second State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday, reading the sovereign's speech—which was written by a Labour government for the first time in 14 years.
Charles and Queen Camilla took their thrones in the Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, in London as the king officially opened the first parliamentary term of the government formed by the U.K.'s new prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
On July 4, Starmer's Labour Party won a landslide victory against the Conservatives. As part of his duties as a constitutional monarch, Charles then met with Starmer at Buckingham Palace and formally asked the Labour leader to form a new government in his name.
Another of Charles' duties is to open Parliament and read the king's speech, which outlines the government's policy goals for the coming parliamentary term. Jack Royston, Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, told Sky News that the king should be well prepared to deliver the speech. He also referenced advice Charles may have taken to heart from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
"The queen did have one very important piece of advice, which was do not bow your head to the notes because the crown is so heavy that you'll just go all the way forwards," he told anchor Kay Burley. "She said you have to bring the notes up to your face."
Royston also said of the king: "He's done so many speeches I honestly don't think he can get nervous anymore. I think he's more likely to get nervous about the ceremonial moments and the order of things. I think in actually delivering the speech, he'll be fine."
As Charles read his speech to the assembled members of the Houses of Lords and Commons on Tuesday, the advice appeared to work to his benefit, as the crown stayed on—though, unlike the queen, the king did occasionally glance downward at his notes.
Elizabeth's advice was given in a rare on-camera interview for a 2018 documentary about her coronation.
Speaking to broadcaster Alastair Bruce, the queen examined the Imperial State Crown, which had been taken from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace for the program.
"Fortunately, my father and I have about the same shaped head, but once you put it on it stays. It just remains itself," she said of the crown, which was altered slightly for Charles' use at his coronation in 2023.
In the documentary, Elizabeth referenced reading the speech at the State Opening of Parliament, saying: "You can't look down to read the speech. You have to take the speech up [to eye level] because if you did your neck would break or it would fall off."
"So there are some disadvantages to crowns," she added. "But otherwise, they're quite important things."
Charles was not the only royal to don glittering headwear at the historic ceremony on Tuesday.
Queen Camilla appeared for the second time wearing the historic George IV Diamond Diadem, a crown-like tiara created for the 1821 coronation of King George IV that has since been worn by all queens and queen consorts.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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