In a last-minute withdrawal from her ceremonial duties, a 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth, citing mobility issues, tapped eldest son and Britain’s heir-to-the-throne, Prince Charles, to open the U.K. Parliament on Tuesday. “Although lord knows I’ve long dreamed about being in the seat of power and have attended this parliamentary event with mum some 49 times,” admits a clearly flummoxed Prince of Wales, age 73, “I never thought I’d take over the throne or actually have to do anything beyond ribbon cutting ceremonies in Canada or Antigua.”
