The State Opening of Parliament is one of the few state occasions that see’s the Queen in full regalia and actually wearing, or latterly due to her increasing years, in the presence of, the crown. This time, for her 67th State Opening of Parliament on 11th May 2012, the Queen did not wear her full regalia, but instead wore formal daywear. In the past, the Queen has not worn full regalia if more than one state opening occurs in the year, as she feels it is not necessary to wear it all twice, especially when the two events can be only a couple of months apart. I think maybe this practice may be continued into the future, even when the lack of pandemics and the recent passing of the monarch’s husband, may not call for scaled back proceedings.
As the monarchy modernises, perhaps this more contemporary style, without so much tradition and pomp and ceremony, will be the way forward. Yet, for something so significant as the opening of the next session of parliament, where decisions will be made, and in the reading of the Queen’s Speech, which is written by the Prime Minister containing their manifesto and plans for the next session, there is still a huge amount of the ceremonial. Some will think this is great, as it reminds us of the history of the country and that we are but a tiny piece of time in the grand scheme of things; it makes us answerable to where we stand and what our legacy will be, indeed, we are held responsible by these traditions and ceremonies. It is something bigger than ourselves. Others will view it as pompous, a waste of time, and play-acting when there are greater things at stake than wearing wigs and following in line in a procession headed by a constitutional monarch.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall attended the state opening, also in formal daywear. The Prince walked with his mother the Queen, as he has done in recent years since his late father retired from royal duties, in the procession. This was a scaled back event, with less people attending in order to comply with social distancing rules. It was vastly different from the normal proceedings, yet also strangely the same, in a reassuring sort of way. All the elements were there. To find out more about the usual event that takes place, I advise reading our blog post from the State Opening in December 2019, which I actually had the opportunity to attend in person, and watch from the Royal Gallery! The link is here: https://b-jchristian.wixsite.com/royalbritannia/post/eyewitness-reflection-state-opening-of-parliament-december-2019
This year, as has become the norm, the crown (the Imperial State Crown), the Cap of Maintenance, and the Sword of State arrived at the Sovereign’s Entrance in a separate car from the Queen, and were carried in procession, rather than the Queen actually wearing the crown, as it has become too heavy for her in recent years, due to her advancing age.
The Yeoman of the Guard and the Gentlemen at Arms were still part of the event, as were other important figures such as Black Rod, the official of the House of Lord’s and the Queen’s representative, who is sent to summon the House of Commons. The door to the Commons is first symbolically slammed in his face, which symbolises the Commons' independence from the monarchy. Black Rod then strikes on the door loudly three times with his ebony staff, or rod, before it is opened, and usually the 250 Members of the House of Commons follow him back to the Lords Chamber, to stand at the opposite end to The Queen's Throne. The Queen then officially opens parliament with a speech that outlines the government’s aims for this session.
The Queen cannot enter the House of Commons herself (because she is not a commoner and therefore does not have that right) so instead the MPs come into the House of Lords, where the Queen’s throne is. This is not the throne used for her coronation (that throne is in Westminster Abbey). The official name of the Houses of Parliament is the Palace of Westminster, so it makes a lot of sense that the Queen has a throne here, at the seat of government, in her role as head of state. The State Opening of Parliament brings together all three strands of the government; Commons, Lords, and Monarch.
The speech is drafted by the government, not the Queen herself, but the government is in her name. The Lord Chamberlain is the one who carries in the speech in a special black silk bag, that he presents to the Queen on bended knee, for her to read out. Later, the contents of the speech will be debated and a response address formed by the Commons.
Many will be struck by the Queen’s faultless delivery of the speech, especially when one considers this is one of her first public engagements since the funeral of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, a few weeks ago. The Queen knows her duty and has always carried it out, despite private and public trials and circumstances and events. There is something deeply reassuring in that during this time of the covid-19 pandemic. In her way, the Queen is encouraging all of us by carrying on in her composed manner.