State Opening of Parliament 1: 2002-2022


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Hardly surprising as it is a snap election and there has just been a state opening... I expect it to be a ”dressed down” state opening also in the event of a Change of government.
 
The journey to and from Parliament is pomp. It's what is in the "Queen's" speech that sets the stage for the direction the government is intending to take the nation. The ceremony has been abbreviated previously but it does not distract from the "Business" of governing. It is the tradition and form of a functioning Constitutional Monarchy. You do you and let them do them. ?




I don't think the imperial crown will be ever worn again at the state opening. The present Queen certainly won't do it due to her advanced age and I think Charles will also drop it as part of a modernizing trend once he ascends.



Some Commonwealth realms like Australia, Canada and New Zealand have a "Speech from the Throne" read by the Governor General which could be a model for a slimmed-down state opening of the UK parliament.
 
The abolishment of the Ceremonial Opening of Parliament in Sweden, which matched or even trumped the grandeur of it's British counterpart, in 1975 was because it was seen as outdated, not compatible with a modern democracy and to put an emphasis on the government and it's policies instead of on the monarch. While I don't think, and certainly hope, that the change in Britain would be as drastic as in Sweden I could see how both parliament and monarch would favour a simplified ceremony. That said it's worth to remember that the ceremony we see today have already been simplified a lot after the reform of the House of Lords in the nineties.

For those interested in the Swedish ceremony here's a link to the one in 1960. The royals arrive at about 41 minutes in. Queen Louise, who's wearing the magnificent Leuchtenberg sapphires, was the sister of Princess Alice of Greece and therefore the aunt of Prince Philip.

 
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The abolishment of the Ceremonial Opening of Parliament in Sweden, which matched or even trumped the grandeur of it's British counterpart, in 1975 was because it was seen as outdated, not compatible with a modern democracy and to put an emphasis on the government and it's policies instead of on the monarch. While I don't think, and certainly hope, that the change in Britain would be as drastic as in Sweden I could see how both parliament and monarch would favour a simplified ceremony. That said it's worth to remember that the ceremony we see today have already been simplified a lot after the reform of the House of Lords in the nineties.

For those interested in the Swedish ceremony here's a link to the one in 1960. The royals arrive at about 41 minutes in. Queen Louise, who's wearing the magnificent Leuchtenberg sapphires, was the sister of Princess Alice of Greece and therefore the aunt of Prince Philip.


Very interesting. Thank you! The boy on the balcony (with his mother, sisters, aunts & grandmother?) is I presume the present king?

It's certainly a very grand ceremony, a shame it's not in colour.

Is this inside the royal palace or the parliament building? If inside the parliament building was there a carriage/cavalry procession?

I don't think the imperial crown will be ever worn again at the state opening. The present Queen certainly won't do it due to her advanced age and I think Charles will also drop it as part of a modernizing trend once he ascends.



Some Commonwealth realms like Australia, Canada and New Zealand have a "Speech from the Throne" read by the Governor General which could be a model for a slimmed-down state opening of the UK parliament.

I think you're right about the crown but I also think that the ceremony will survive more or less as it is. It's an accepted part of the theatre of monarchy now a bit like trooping the colour so I suspect it will stay.
 
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Very interesting. Thank you! The boy on the balcony (with his mother, sisters, aunts & grandmother?) is I presume the present king?

It's certainly a very grand ceremony, a shame it's not in colour.

Is this inside the royal palace or the parliament building? If inside the parliament building was there a carriage/cavalry procession?

Yes, the boy is the current King Carl XVI Gustav together with his sisters, mother and step-grandmother. The cereemony was heald each year in January at the Hall of State in the Royal Palace.
Here´s a transmission in colour from the last time the ceremony was held in 1974. Princess Christina was at the time the First Lady of the Realm and it´s been said that she was very uncomfortable with appearing on the balcony alone during the ceremonies of 1973 and 1974. In 1973 , only 2 months after the death of her mother, she was heard to whisper "alone, alone, I´m all alone" before stepping out onto the balcony.


I guess we should continue talking somewhere in the Swedish threads before we get told off for being naughty ;)
 
Yes, the boy is the current King Carl XVI Gustav together with his sisters, mother and step-grandmother. The cereemony was heald each year in January at the Hall of State in the Royal Palace.
Here´s a transmission in colour from the last time the ceremony was held in 1974. Princess Christina was at the time the First Lady of the Realm and it´s been said that she was very uncomfortable with appearing on the balcony alone during the ceremonies of 1973 and 1974. In 1973 , only 2 months after the death of her mother, she was heard to whisper "alone, alone, I´m all alone" before stepping out onto the balcony.


I guess we should continue talking somewhere in the Swedish threads before we get told off for being naughty ;)

Thank you again. Enjoyed watching! HM looks so young! If I have any more questions I will post them in the Sweden forums, don't want to get sent to the naughty step:lol:
 
So, if I understood correctly, there will probably be a reduced Opening of Parliament on Thursday, December 19th.
I assume this means the Queen will be in a coat and hat and accompanied only by Prince Charles.
 
That what it looks like. I guess they can pretty much use the speech from the last one in Oct ;)

I guess the Christmas lunch will be sometime this week, say Wed, then the State Opening then HM will be able to finally travel to Sandringham to begin her Christmas break.
 
I don't think the imperial crown will be ever worn again at the state opening. The present Queen certainly won't do it due to her advanced age and I think Charles will also drop it as part of a modernizing trend once he ascends.

I really do hope you are wrong as the british people have always been proud of this ceremony and the crown jewels not just museum pieces, but "alive" insigns of a vital royal family, still being in use!
The difference between the british King and Queen to other european monarchs is that there is still a coronation ceremony and an anointing in the UK which enables the monarchs to use their crown jewels. Only an anointed and concecrated monarch can do so. Hardly any other monarchs (may be with the exception of the Thai King or Emperor of Japan) undergoes a religious enthronement - that is why nobody else than these can wear crown jewels - or royal insignia!
In that regard I do hope that Prince Charles, always been a traditionalist (like his eldest son, too), will still use it just like his predecessors did!
 
That what it looks like. I guess they can pretty much use the speech from the last one in Oct ;)


They most definitely will not. That was an emergency Queen's speech from a government that had lost its majority in the House of Commons and whose continuity was in doubt.



This week's speech represents the legislative program of a newly elected government with an 80-seat majority, which will most likely last for another 5 years and, under the British parliamentary system of government, is pretty much free to do whatever it wants. It is probably going to be a much more detailed and ambitious Queen's speech then.
 
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They most definitely will not. That was an emergency Queen's speech from a government that had lost its majority in the House of Commons and whose continuity was in doubt.



This week's speech represents the legislative program of a newly elected government with an 80-seat majority, which will most likely last for another 5 years and, under the British parliamentary system of government, is pretty much free to do whatever it wants. It is probably going to be a much more detailed and ambitious Queen's speech then.

I think that is right. Expect to see an ambitious legislative agenda, shaped by Brexit and the newly won over northern voters and their priorities.
 
Court Circular 19th December:
Buckingham Palace

The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, this morning drove to the Sovereign’s Entrance of the Palace of Westminster to open the Session of Parliament.

Her Majesty and His Royal Highness were received upon arrival by the Marquess of Cholmondeley (Lord Great Chamberlain), the Duke of Norfolk (Earl Marshal) and Ms Sarah Clarke (Lady Usher of the Black Rod).
 
Thanks for the photos!:flowers::flowers::flowers:
It was nice to see The Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmodeley and Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg.
 
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I saw this article in the Guardian over the weekend:

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...acob-rees-mogg-seeks-bold-and-ambitious-bills

Ignoring the political content, it seems the Government is preparing for the Queen's Speech and it got me thinking how this is going to happen.

At the moment, Parliament is socially distancing and so there are fewer MPs actually physically in the House. There is no way everyone can pack into the Lords as they usually do.

More intriguing though, how do people think they will manage the "Queen" bit. At 91, even a socially distanced speech in the Houses of Parliament would be out of the question. Is she going to give her speech from Buckingham Palace by Zoom? Will Prince Charles attend a scaled back and socially distanced opening and give the speech on behalf of the Queen?

I'm not sure whether anything similar has happened in the past - for example during the Queen's pregnancies? I'd be interested in reading people's views.
 
I saw this article in the Guardian over the weekend:

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...acob-rees-mogg-seeks-bold-and-ambitious-bills

Ignoring the political content, it seems the Government is preparing for the Queen's Speech and it got me thinking how this is going to happen.

At the moment, Parliament is socially distancing and so there are fewer MPs actually physically in the House. There is no way everyone can pack into the Lords as they usually do.

More intriguing though, how do people think they will manage the "Queen" bit. At 91, even a socially distanced speech in the Houses of Parliament would be out of the question. Is she going to give her speech from Buckingham Palace by Zoom? Will Prince Charles attend a scaled back and socially distanced opening and give the speech on behalf of the Queen?

I'm not sure whether anything similar has happened in the past - for example during the Queen's pregnancies? I'd be interested in reading people's views.

Thank you for the Guardian article and posting it on the forum. The first time I read through, I interpreted as Jacob Rees-Mogg wanting to push more bills through the House of Commons to deliver the promise in the Queen's speech on last year December. And I did not think at that time that Mr. Rees-Mogg is planning to have another State Opening of Parliament.

In the opening of Mr. Rees-Mogg's letter to his colleague, I thought the "second session" refers to the one starting from 19th December 2019, after its second State Opening of Parliament on the year. The first session, I assumed was between the 1st opening in 2019 (15th October) and the general election. In 2018, there was no State Opening of Parliament.
“It is now time to start looking at HM government’s plans for the second session.
“It is obviously important to continue to deliver the prime minister’s domestic priorities and on our manifesto commitments.
“These include tackling crime, ensuring the most serious criminals get the time in prison they deserve, controlling our borders, levelling up across the country by investing in infrastructure and transforming the provision of skills and strengthening our public services.
“It is also important to be ready to make the most of the opportunities which will arise when we regain our economic and political independence at the end of the transition period.”​

But then after reading through your comment and re-reading the first and last sentence of the article, I interpreted as a new Queen's speech will be inevitable. I agree that the next State Opening of Parliament will be socially distance and only prominent Lords/Peers, Cabinet Secretary or others from the Shadow Cabinet will attend. The rest of the junior minsters, backbenchers or Lords will probably watched from the gallery or from their own offices (with the help of streaming). I also assumed that there may not be any spectators outside to those who worked in Parliament.

The Commons leader, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has written to his cabinet colleagues calling for “bold and ambitious” bills for the upcoming Queen’s speech.​

“The prime minister has been clear that we will not be blown off course in our plans to build back better and that’s just what our next Queen’s speech will do.” [From No. 10 spokesman]​

I am surprised that other newspaper has not picked this up. Part of the reason that I am still confused is that there is no mentioning on the plans/schedules of a Queen's speech. The Guardian article mainly goes through the government's agenda and policies to put forward. I also wonder how the Guardian got hold of Mr. Rees-Mogg letter, I would assume that if he was going to leak/release it, he would give it to The Telegraph, The Times (his father William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg was the former editor), The Spectator, Daily Mail or The Daily Express.
 
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From Parly's (Online Journalism on UK's House of Commons and Westminster village) twitter account, the next State Opening of Parliament will most likely be in May 2021 this year. The last one happened on December 2019. Judging the likelihood of continued restrictions and social distancing, it will probably be scaled down (in terms of number of attendees). The Parly tweet also included pictures from the December 2019's State Opening of Parliament.

PARLY @PARLYapp
Queen’s Speech and State Opening will likely be in May. This current session of Parliament began in December 2019, which was actually 300 years ago.
10:50 PM · Jan 31, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

PARLY @PARLYapp
Replying to @PARLYapp
There we all were, packed together like sardines. This year’s ceremony is likely to be quite different.
11:27 PM · Jan 31, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

PARLY @PARLYapp
Replying to @PARLYapp
The Speaker is *really* keen on people wearing their pass, even when dressed up in their best kit.
1:33 AM · Feb 1, 2021·Twitter for iPhone​

The Official UK Parliament website has not specified a date (or month), only the year (i.e. 2021). The page however has provided insightful information on The State Opening of Parliament in FAQ format
When will the next State Opening of Parliament take place?
The next State Opening is expected to be in 2021.
https://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-lords-faqs/lords-stateopening/
 
From Roya Nikkhah's twitter account, the State Opening of Parliament will reportedly happen on 11th May this year with adaptation to #Covid restriction. The Queen herself will travel from Windsor to London.

Roya Nikkhah @RoyaNikkhah
The Queen will return to London for the State Opening of Parliament on May 11th. This year's #StateOpening will be specially adapted to make it #Covid secure, with "reduced ceremonial elements". A No 10 spokesperson says "this Queen's Speech will look quite different".
9:32 AM · Mar 21, 2021·Twitter for iPhone​
 
I wondered if the State Opening would happen at all, something to look forward too.
 
State Opening of Parliament 2002-2019

More updates on the State Opening of Parliament from Parly
PARLY @PARLYapp
Confirmed: the State Opening of Parliament will be Tuesday 11 May.
“The State Opening will involve significantly fewer MPs and peers in attendance, a reduced Royal Procession into the Lords Chamber and no diplomatic or non-parliamentary guests.”
10:00 PM · Mar 22, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

PARLY @PARLYapp
Replying to @PARLYapp
There are a number of carry over bills that will continue in the next session, including the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Environment Bill and the Armed Forces Bill.
10:03 PM · Mar 22, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

PARLY @PARLYapp
Replying to @PARLYapp
No date yet for prorogation. “The current session of Parliament will be prorogued ahead of the Queen’s Speech and this time will be used to enable logistical and security preparations for the State Opening of Parliament.”
10:04 PM · Mar 22, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

PARLY @PARLYapp
Replying to @PARLYapp
No.10 confirms the Queen’s Speech will contain bills to “improve the building safety regulatory regime, reform our asylum system and to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act”.
10:05 PM · Mar 22, 2021·Twitter for iPhone​

https://mobile.twitter.com/PARLYapp/status/1373952824401391616

I wondered if the State Opening would happen at all, something to look forward too.

I too also look forward to the State Opening of Parliament this year, especially when a lot of Royal public events are cancelled or moved including Trooping of the Colour in Windsor this year. There was no opening last year, but two in 2019.
 
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I too also look forward to the State Opening of Parliament this year, especially when a lot of Royal public events are cancelled or moved including Trooping of the Colour in Windsor this year. There was no opening last year, but two in 2019.

I had forgotten about the 2 in 2019,just wish they moved it back to November.
 
Parliament has been prorogue on 29th April, ending the 2019-21 parliamentary session. Both House of Commons and House of Lords will not return until The State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday 11th May.

Parliament's 2019–21 session has been brought to a close with a 'prorogation' announcement on Thursday 29 April 2021.

The House of Commons and the House of Lords will next sit for the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday 11 May 2021.

(...)

What is prorogation?
Prorogation marks the formal end of the Parliamentary session. It usually takes the form of an announcement, read on behalf of the Queen, in the House of Lords chamber.
Parliament's working year comes to a close: 2019-21 session ends
https://www.parliament.uk/business/...g-year-comes-to-a-close-2019-21-session-ends/

As mentioned in the UK Parliament website, there was an announcement made behalf of The Queen and the ceremony was mostly taken in The House of Lords

Video of the Prorogation ceremony in The House of Lords: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/ef857e29-e0fd-47d0-9faa-8b34d065d513?in=14:29:50

Video of the Prorogation ceremony in The House of Commons (Starts at 14:49:59, unfortunately the time stamp is not set like the HoL's): https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/fe5c070c-2f89-4615-a7c1-ee4191649699

Some pictures of the Prorogation ceremony released by The House of Commons twitter account:
The Hansard in both Houses has released The Queen's speech, which was read out by The Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Evans of Bowes Park in the prorogation ceremony.
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commo...C-2139F9557E6A/HerMajesty’SMostGraciousSpeech
https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords...42-1925466F8305/ProrogationHerMajesty’SSpeech
 
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The UK Government website and No 10 Downing St has released a press statement on the general content of The Queen's speech which will be read out on the State Opening of Parliament.

Press release
A new Queen's Speech to build back better from the pandemic
New laws to ensure the UK builds back better and stronger from the pandemic will be unveiled in next week’s Queen’s Speech.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a-new-queens-speech-to-build-back-better-from-the-pandemic
 
It will be a very State Opening of Parliament this year compared to previous ceremonies.
 
Will this again be a dressed down State Oepning without carrriage procession and the Queen in daywear?
 
Will this again be a dressed down State Oepning without carrriage procession and the Queen in daywear?

very possibly. The queen is still mourning her husband and the country is stil in crisis...
 
Normally, all 650 Members of Parliament walk from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, and all squash in there, but, due to the pandemic, only the party leaders and a small number of others will be going. I don't think there's been any confirmation about regalia/robes or about whether the Queen will be travelling by coach or car, but, under the present circumstances, I'd think she'll be arriving by car and wearing ordinary clothes.
 
Yes that is what i have also read that there is only a limited attendance from both Houses. but one Article also stated that Camila would also attend which i think was not the case for the dressed down opening in 2019 therefore i was confused what to expect tomorrow.
 
That's strange. I doubt that Camilla would go even if it was the full affair with robes and regalia and all 650 MPs in attendance. Other than the Queen and her consort - and Prince Charles is effectively standing in as her consort - other royals don't usually attend.
 
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