King Charles III arrived at Parliament to preside over the State Opening on Wednesday, donning his ceremonial robes and the crown of state to deliver a speech laying out the legislative program of the U.K.’s first left-leaning government in 14 years.

The state opening of Parliament is one of the traditional set pieces of the political year, showcasing through carefully choreographed pageantry Britain’s evolution from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy where real power is vested in the elected House of Commons.