The Lords being in their robes

The QUEEN, being seated on the Throne, and attended by Her Officers of State (the Lords being in their robes), commanded the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, through the Lord Great Chamberlain, to let the Commons know, "It is Her Majesty's pleasure they attend Her immediately in this House".

Who being come, with their Speaker:

Her Majesty was pleased to speak as follows:

So, every year, and after each General Election, begins Hansard's account of the state opening of Parliament, better known as the Queen's speech. Dressed in improbable finery, surrounded on all sides by ermine and fur, boots and buckles, the monarch stands in the House of Lords to read out the legislative agenda of the next session of Parliament.

The ceremony, which has its origins in the earliest days of Parliament, when the King was in charge of what the chamber was allowed to debate, dates more clearly from the 16th century and the reign of Henry VIII. Here's a picture from the reign of Elizabeth I, in 1589. Since then, the ritual has evolved over the centuries, through the Civil War, the Glorious Revolution and the rise of the British Empire to reflect the changing relationship of the monarchy and her subjects.

Today's speech will largely follow a pattern established during the long reign of Britain's last Queen, Victoria, when the Royal Address was prepared almost in its entirety by Downing Street and then read to the assembled peers and MPs. After the death of the Prince Consort, Albert, in 1861, Queen Victoria even took to letting her Lord Chamberlain read the speech while she sat with her children and watched.

A measure of circumstance was restored by Edward VII, who added a royal throne in the House of Lords for his wife, Alexandra, but since then the ceremony, although still grand to the point of incomprehensibility, has been subtly chipped away: the Queen's procession was reduced in 1998 and Derry Irvine, the Lord Chancellor at the time, asked permission not to have to walk backwards down a set of steps after presenting the Queen with her speech. Although Lord Falconer has revived the tradition, in recent years some peers, including the Duke of Norfolk, Edward Fitzalan-Howard, have made a point of walking normally in her presence.

But don't worry, this morning still holds a woolsack of peculiarities: among the odds and ends, the Sword of State, the Cap of Maintenance and the Silver Stick in Waiting. One of whom is a person. And there are plenty of rituals that speak of the past: Beefeaters searching the cellars for another gunpowder plot (that's what's happening in the picture), the royal hostage (a government whip is sent to Buckingham Palace for the duration of the speech so the Queen does not come to any harm) and the famous moment when Black Rod has the door of the House of Commons shut in his face.

As the Houses of Parliament archives describes it:

Black Rod is sent to summon the Commons, and in annual ritual the door to the Chamber is symbolically slammed in his face by the Serjeant at Arms to assert Commons’ independence.  The door is opened in response to three knocks with his ebony staff of office.

The Speaker and the Serjeant at Arms, with mace in hand, then lead the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition with a deliberate lack of haste to the Lords’ Chamber. The Commons follow at their heels in a traditionally rowdy procession. The Globe newspaper criticised them in 1901 for taking this too far and behaving like “a rampant mob”. There is not sufficient space for all the MPs so a group of representatives stands at the back behind the bar to hear “The Most Gracious Speech from the Throne”.

For a taste of the past, this account from The Times in 1877 and its description of Queen Victoria's procession heading to Westminster. Her carriage was led by eight cream-coloured horses. (The Queen's today was pulled by eight greys, so really not that much has changed):

"The early part of the morning was foggy, but the sun shone out at noon, and the Queen went to Minister and back in the brightest hours of the most genial day which the Metropolis has known this year...

"It is needless to say that along the whole line the coming of the Queen was the signal for her subjects to manifest their loyal enthusiasm in every way which is permissible. Men stood bareheaded and cheered, women waved their handkerchiefs and children were held up from among the crowd clapping their little hands."

For the present, keep an eye on our rolling coverage today. All here.

Comments

[David Wiles]

From someone who lives in 2006 and is not averse to saying 'f***' etc.... please, keep it going. It's just wonderfully British and I like being British. I wish I was more British than European but, sadly, it seems not to be.

[Paulo]

I agree with the above. Tradition is our heritage

[Temidayo Israel-Abdulai]

Watching the State Opening this Morning was inspiring. I felt proud to be a British Resident. I wish we had great cultures and resources like this in Nigeria.

Tradition is important and Heritage is of great value. Its our identity and a present from the past.

The most inspiring part was the different ethos and sequence of history brought into play. The Slamming of the Doors, the Time Management and the Engagement of the Young People in carrying the royal robe.

God Save the Queen
Long Live Nigeria
God Bless Dayo Israel

[Patrick Walesby]

Long may this continue. If we chip away at our traditions, then we are only chipping our heritage away.

I expect Her Majesty might like a rest, but she is dutiful and we should follow her perfect example. Life is too short to moan and be envious.

God save the Queen.

PATRICK WALEBSY