On Wednesday, King Charles III will unveil Labour's first governmental programme in fifteen years as the UK parliament officially reopens following the July 4 election.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to focus on revitalizing a sluggish economy as Labour takes the reins of the UK government for the first time in 14 years.
"Now is the time to take the brakes off Britain," said Starmer, who led his party to a landslide victory over the Conservatives. "I am determined to create wealth for people up and down the country. It is the only way our country can progress."
Though the speech is delivered by the monarch, it is written by the government and outlines the laws they intend to introduce over the next 12 months.
During a grand ceremony, King Charles, adorned in the diamond-studded Imperial State Crown and a long crimson robe, will deliver the proposals from a golden throne in the House of Lords.
The speech is anticipated to include over 35 bills, with measures to enforce public spending rules and prevent future utility bill price hikes that contributed to the UK's recent cost-of-living crisis.
The legislation will also expand on previously announced initiatives, such as a fund to attract investment to the UK and a publicly owned entity aimed at boosting clean energy by 2030.
Labour is also expected to restore mandatory housebuilding targets, propose the renationalization of Britain's rail services, and establish a new border security command.
Additionally, a bill to enhance workers' rights, including a ban on zero-hour contracts and stronger protections for renters, is likely to be part of Labour's first legislative agenda since being ousted from power in 2010.
"This is a hungry party," former Labour minister Tony McNulty told AFP. "They are chomping at the bit to show that they can get back to being what they see as the natural party of government."
Ceremonial 'Hostage'
The day's events began around 9:30 am (0830 GMT) with royal bodyguards traditionally searching the Palace of Westminster's basement for explosives, a ritual stemming from the failed 1605 Gunpowder Plot.
Footage showed the king departing Buckingham Palace, accompanied by mounted cavalry, en route to the Houses of Parliament.
As per tradition, an MP is ceremonially held "hostage" at the palace to ensure the king's safe return.
A parliamentary official known as Black Rod will have the door to the House of Commons ceremonially slammed in their face, symbolizing parliament's independence from the monarchy.
MPs will then follow Black Rod to the upper chamber, where King Charles will deliver the speech to assembled lords and ladies in red and ermine robes, along with invited members of the elected Commons, shortly after 11:30 am.
Although the monarch is above politics, King Charles, a known environmentalist, remained neutral during the previous address in November when then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government announced new oil and gas licenses.
"There's probably much in this King's Speech that he will favour rather than the other one he had to read out," said McNulty, a British politics lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. "But he'll play it with a straight face. That's the job." Photo by HM Government, Wikimedia commons.