King Charles Opens Parliament for the First Time with Queen Camilla — in Crowns! See Every Photo

Horse-drawn carriages, historic diadems and many nods to the coronation were present at the State Opening of Parliament

King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped out for one of the key events on the royal calendar: the State Opening of Parliament.

On Wednesday, the King opened the new parliamentary session for the first time in his reign and delivered the King's Speech. The event is steeped in tradition — including many reminders of Queen Elizabeth's reign and nods to the monarch's coronation that took place in May.

From the horse-drawn carriage ride from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster to the crowns worn by King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 76, see the best photos from the event below.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

King Charles and Queen Camilla departed Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, the same horse-drawn carriage they used on the May 6 coronation day to travel to the crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The coach was commissioned to commemorate Queen Elizabeth's 60th anniversary of acceding the throne in 2012.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

King Charles wore the Admiral of the Fleet Royal Naval dress uniform for the ride to the ceremony.

Queen Camilla

Royal watchers got their first glimpse of Queen Camilla's jewels as she rode in the procession.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

While King Charles and Queen Camilla rode in a coach, so did the royal regalia! The Imperial State Crown, the Great Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance traveled in their own carriage, Queen Alexandra’s State Coach.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

Following tradition, King Charles made his way into the Palace of Westminster through the Sovereign's Entrance under the Victoria Tower then headed to the Robing Room, where he put on the Parliament Robe of State and the Imperial State Crown.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

For the first time since his coronation, King Charles wore the Imperial State Crown.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

Throughout her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth would sport the headpiece during the State Opening of Parliament annually until her later years, when she would opt for a lighter diadem or one of her signature wide-brimmed hats.

Queen Elizabeth spoke about the difficult task of reading the speech while trying to balance the heavy headpiece in the documentary The Coronation: "You can’t look down to read the speech, you have to take the speech up. Because if you did, your neck would break — it would fall off. So there are some disadvantages to crowns, but otherwise, they’re quite important things."

King Charles and Queen Camilla

The royal couple was assisted during the ceremony by Pages of Honor. King Charles had four, while Queen Camilla had two.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

King Charles delivered the King's Speech during the ceremony. The speech is written by the government and contains an outline of its policies and proposed legislation for the new parliamentary session.

Because Queen Elizabeth was monarch and gave the Queen's Speech, this marked the first King's Speech in over 70 years.

Queen Camilla

Queen Camilla opted for a special dress for the event: her coronation gown! The outfit, by designer Bruce Oldfield, features bespoke embellishments including florals, a crown, the names of her children and grandchildren and even embroidered versions of Camilla's two dogs, Beth and Bluebell!

Queen Camilla

To cap off her regal look, Queen Camilla made her debut in the George IV State Diadem. The headpiece was made for the coronation of King George IV in 1820 and has since been worn by every British queen, whether they reigned or were consorts: Queen Adelaide, Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) and Queen Elizabeth.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

Although this was the first State Opening of Parliament of King Charles' reign, he first attended the State Opening of Parliament in 1970 and appeared at the event several times accompanying his mother.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

He stepped in for Queen Elizabeth at the event in May 2022. Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen, who died in September 2022 at age 96, would miss the event due to "episodic mobility problems." For the first time, Charles represented his mother and read the Queen's Speech.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

Back at Buckingham Palace, King Charles and Queen Camilla observed military personnel march past — and the Queen opted to bundle up from the cold with a coat draped over her shoulders!

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