The Queen without The Crown

When the Queen arrives at the Palace of Westminster on June 19 to perform her duties at the State Opening of Parliament she won't be wearing her crown.

Nor will she be dressed in robes.

Nor will she arrive in a carriage.

Not for more than four decades has the Queen dressed down in this way for one of her regular duties as Head of State.

The heavy Imperial State Crown will be brought to the House of Lords. But she won't be wearing it as she addressed peers and MPs.

Nor will she wear the less heavy George IV State Diadem crown which she uses for the journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster.

Instead, she'll be in 'day dress' and a hat.

She will make the journey by car.

The changes - the first since the Opening of Parliament after the snap election of 1974 - are nothing to do with her age.

Had the State Opening happened as scheduled in May - all the ceremonial dresses, carriages and crowns would have been brought out as usual.

The reason for the 'dressing down' is one of logistics.

The snap election has changed a timetable which means the military and the Palace can't make it happen.

There is a full Trooping the Colour two days before.

The rehearsal for the State Opening would have to be held on the Friday morning and it was decided it simply wasn't possible.

It's also understood the Queen did not want to obstruct the return of Parliament after the election - so the decision was made to have a State Opening with fewer ceremonial necessities.

Of course, the last time the event was held in a less formal way like this, was after the Conservative Prime Minister Ted Heath called the 1974 snap election.

Labour leader Harold Wilson went on to win it.

I wonder if Jeremy Corbyn thinks the announcement from Buckingham Palace today could be a good omen for him!