Parade Armor: Fantasy

He raced into the throne room and grabbed the suit of armor that had always stood guard beside the throne. It crumpled beneath his fingers. He stared aghast at the gold leaf flaking against his fingernails. Parade armor? It was only parade armor? That would be less than useless against those who pursued him. Still, it was better than facing them with only his bare skin as a shield--he thought. He pulled apart the armor and climbed into it. He'd thought that he'd only be able to get on the greaves himself, and the helmet, but the armor was flexible and easy to take apart--and he didn't seem to need another person's help to get it fastened around him. Under other circumstances, this would have given him pause. Since he was only--

Inspiration: "parade armor"
Story Potential: High, medium-high. There's a story here.
Notes: And it ends up being the old "If the parade armor has somebody in it, it's more than just parade armor" gag. It becomes a responsibility to protect that he can't get rid of. Of course, I'm thinking not such a reputable gentleman before this was enforced. Question becomes, vs. invaders? or vs. in-house conspirators, perhaps ones he was (peripherally) involved with? Could be both, I guess, but that's a lot for a short story.