State Opening of Parliament

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In the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an annual event held usually in October or November that marks the commencement of a session of Parliament. It is held in the House of Lords Chamber after Parliament first assembles in consequence of a General Election and each autumn thereafter.

The current Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II, has opened every session of the Westminster Parliament since her accession except in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, respectively, her two older children were born during the reign of her father, King George VI. These two sessions were opened by Lords Commissioners, headed by Geoffrey Fisher, the Archbishop of Canterbury, empowered by Her Majesty.

Preparation

The State Opening is a lavish ceremony. First, the cellars of the Palace of Westminster are searched in order to prevent a modern-day Gunpowder Plot. The Plot of 1605 involved a failed attempt by English Catholics to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill the Protestant King James I and aristocracy. Since that year, the cellars have been searched, but for the sake of form only.

Before the monarch departs her residence, the Crown takes a member of the House of Commons to Buckingham Palace as a ceremonial hostage. This is to guarantee the safety of the Sovereign as she enters a possibly hostile Parliament. Today, with the convention that the majority of the government is drawn from the Commons, the symbolism becomes rather confused - the chosen hostage is usually the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household who, being a member of Her Majesty's Government, it can be assumed would not be hostile. The hostage is released upon the safe return of the Queen.

Before the arrival of the sovereign the Imperial State Crown is carried to the palace of Westminster in its own state coach. From the Victoria tower the crown is passed by the Queen's bargemaster to the comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain's office. It is then carried, along with the sword of state and the Cap of Maintenance, to be displayed in the royal gallery.

Arrival of the Sovereign

The Queen arrives at the Palace of Westminster in a horse-drawn coach, entering through Sovereign's Entrance under the Victoria Tower. As the building is a royal palace, the Royal Standard is hoisted to replace the Union Flag upon the sovereign's entrance and remains whilst she is in attendance. Then, after she takes on the Robes of State and the Imperial State Crown in the Robing Chamber, the Queen proceeds through the royal gallery, usually accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, to the House of Lords. The ceremony is traditionally held in the Lords Chamber rather than in the Commons Chamber due to a custom initiated in the seventeenth century. In 1642, King Charles I entered the Commons Chamber and attempted to arrest five members. The Speaker famously defied the King, refusing to inform him as to where the members were hiding. Ever since that incident, no monarch has entered the House of Commons. Once on the Throne, the Queen, wearing the Imperial State Crown, instructs the house by saying, "My Lords, pray be seated", she then motions the Lord Great Chamberlain to summon the House of Commons.

Summoning of the Commons

The Lord Great Chamberlain raises his wand of office to signal to the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, who has been waiting in the central lobby. Black Rod turns and, under the escort of the doorkeeper of the House of Lords and an inspector of police, approaches the doors to the chamber of the Commons. The doors are slammed in his face – symbolizing the right of the Commons to debate without the presence of the Queen's representative. He then strikes three times with his staff (the Black Rod), and is then admitted. At the bar, Black Rod bows to the speaker before proceeding to the Dispatch box and issuing the command of the monarch that the Commons attend, in the following formula:

"Mr/Madam Speaker, The Queen commands this honourable House to attend Her Majesty immediately in the House of Peers."

The Speaker proceeds to attend the summons at once. The Sergeant-at-Arms picks up the ceremonial mace and, with the Speaker, leads the Members of the House of Commons as they walk, in pairs, towards the House of Lords. By custom, the members saunter, with much discussion and joking, rather than formally process. The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition usually walk side by side, leading the two lines of MPs. The Commons then arrive at the Bar of the House of Lords (no person who is not a member of the Upper House may pass the Bar unbidden when it is in session; a similar rule applies to the Commons), where they bow to The Queen. They remain at the Bar for the speech.

Delivery of the speech

The Queen reads a prepared speech, known as the Speech from the Throne or the Queen's Speech, outlining her Government's agenda for the coming year. The speech is not written by the Queen, but rather by the Cabinet, and reflects the legislative agenda they wish to pursue with the agreement of the House of Commons. It is traditionally written on goatskin vellum.

The Queen reads the entire speech in the same tone, so as to indicate her neutrality, implying neither approval nor disapproval of the policies she is announcing. Since the Cabinet forms part of Her Majesty's Government, the Queen makes constant reference to "My Government" when reading the text. It is also customary for the Queen, after listing the main bills that will be introduced during the yearly session, to state: "other measures will be laid before you", thus giving the Government ability to introduce other bills, not mentioned in the speech. The speech is concluded by the Queen saying:

"My Lords and Members of the House of Commons, I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your councils".

Following the speech, the Commons bow again and return to their Chamber.

Traditionally, the Houses of Parliament listen to the speech respectfully, keeping total silence in the presence of the monarch, neither applauding nor showing dissent towards the speech's contents. This silence, however, was broken once in 1998, when the Queen announced the Government's plan of abolishing the right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords. A few members cried "no" and "shame", prompting others to shout "yes" and "hear hear". The Queen continued delivering her speech without any pause, ignoring the intervention. The conduct of those who interrupted the speech was highly criticized at the time.

Debate on the speech

After the Queen leaves, each Chamber proceeds to the consideration of an "Address in Reply to Her Majesty's Gracious Speech." But first, each House considers a bill pro forma to symbolize their right to deliberate independently of the monarch. In the House of Lords, the bill is called the Select Vestries Bill, while the Commons equivalent is the Outlawries Bill. The Bills are considered for the sake of form only, and do not make any actual progress. The consideration of the address in reply to the Throne Speech is the occasion for a debate on the Government's agenda. The debate on the Address in Reply is spread over several days. On each day, a different topic, such as foreign affairs or finance, is considered. The debate provides an indication of the views of Parliament regarding the government's agenda.

Equivalents, Commonwealth and elsewhere

Similar ceremonies are held in Commonwealth realms where there are two houses of parliament, such as Canada and Australia. On rare occasions, the Queen visits so as to open these parliaments and deliver the Speech from the Throne herself. More usually, however, the Governor General delivers the speech.

In India, the President opens Parliament with an address similar to the Speech from the Throne. This is also the case in Commonwealth republics with a non-executive presidency such as Malta, Mauritius and Singapore.

In non-Commonwealth countries, there are also similar speeches by the Head of State. For instance, in the United States, a former British colony, there is the State of the Union Address, and in the Philippines, a former American colony, there is the State of the Nation Address.

In The Netherlands a similar ceremony is held on the third Tuesday in September and is called Prinsjesdag.

External links

• State Opening at UK Parliament website
• Costs of State Opening from Hansard

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