Queen Elizabeth II missed her usual appearance at the ceremonial opening of the British Parliament on Tuesday for the first time in nearly 60 years as Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to reinvigorate his faltering government by unveiling its plans for the coming year.

The 96-year-old monarch, who usually presides over the pomp-filled event and reads out her government's legislative program from a gilded throne in the House of Lords, skipped the annual showpiece on her doctors' advice.

Buckingham Palace said late Monday she had made the decision "reluctantly" as she continues to experience "episodic mobility problems."

In the traditional Queen's Speech, read for the first time in 59 years by Prince Charles rather than Queen Elizabeth due to her mobility problems, Johnson said his Conservative government would "deliver on the promises we made" in the 2019 election.

But there was little to comfort the millions of people struggling with higher fuel and food costs, with the government reiterating that it would "repair the public finances" rather than channel additional money to cushion the blow.

"Her Majesty's government's priority is to grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families," Charles said, reading a text written by the government that sets out its plans for the next parliamentary session.

In a ceremony full of pageantry, Charles read the speech in front of robed lords and lawmakers, who had walked from the House of Commons to the upper chamber, the House of Lords, led by Johnson and opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer.

The Queen has rarely been seen in public since spending an unscheduled night in the hospital last October and has complained of difficulties standing and working. She also contracted COVID-19 in February.

She has missed only two state openings during her record-breaking 70-year reign, in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and then Prince Edward.

Her decision heightened fears that she may not be able to attend celebrations marking her 70th year on the throne next month.

The State Opening of Parliament is an event of huge pomp and pageantry, which traditionally sees the Queen traveling to the assembly in a State Coach, escorted by mounted soldiers in ceremonial uniform, while the Imperial State Crown and other regalia travel ahead in a carriage of their own.

The ceremony, which occurs in spring or after a national election, embodies the centuries-old separation of power between the Crown, the elected House of Commons, the House of Lords and the judiciary.

News of the Queen's absence immediately overshadowed the unveiling of the new parliamentary session.

Reeling from a series of scandals and dire results for his ruling Conservatives in local elections last week, the beleaguered Tory leader promises 38 bills to get his agenda "back on track."

They focused on boosting economic growth and paving the way for more "high-wage, high-skill jobs," as well as tackling the spiraling cost of living, Johnson's Downing Street office said.

'Back on track'

The upcoming parliamentary session – the current government's third – is one of Johnson's last opportunities to deliver on his key policy promises before the next general election due by May 2024.

Johnson won an 80-seat majority in December 2019, vowing to reap the rewards from Brexit and tackle decades of growing regional inequality. Despite securing Britain's withdrawal from the European Union with a comprehensive trade deal, the coronavirus pandemic upended the delivery of his domestic agenda.

His government was soon consumed by the pandemic and then sidetracked in recent months by various controversies, including the so-called "Partygate" scandal.

That saw Johnson become the first U.K. prime minister found to have broken the law while in office, after police ruled he and staff had breached COVID-19 lockdown rules.

Johnson is also under pressure to tackle a growing cost-of-living crisis, but the Queen's Speech offered no clues on any immediate action the government might take to help people struggling to pay their bills.

Johnson was punished in last week's local elections, when voters in southern England abandoned his party over the scandals and the cost of living. This prompted some in his party to urge a return to a more traditional Conservative agenda of tax cuts and prevent housing from encroaching on rural areas.

"From the moment I became prime minister, my mission has been to deliver for the British people," he said in the introduction to the agenda.

"Over the remainder of this parliament, this government will work night and day to ensure we do just that."