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TheState Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of eachsession of theParliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His or Her Majesty's "gracious speech from the throne" (also known as the King's or Queen's Speech),[1] which is read by themonarch but written by the government of the day. In the speech the monarch gives notice of forthcomingstate visits, before setting out the government's legislative programme for the new parliamentary session. No business of either House of Parliament (theHouse of Lords or theHouse of Commons) can proceed until the Sovereign’s speech has been delivered.[2]
The State Opening takes place in the House of Lords chamber within thePalace of Westminster on the first day of the new parliamentary session. This traditionally tends to fall in November, but can occur at any time of year (depending on the timing of General Elections and parliamentary session start dates).[Note 1][3] It takes place in front of a formal gathering of both Houses of Parliament; the monarch customarily wears theImperial State Crown and aRobe of State, and members of the House of Lords wear their parliament robes (in contrast to the House of Commons, whose members wear day dress).[1]
State Openings of Parliament are documented from as early as the 14th century and the first visual depictions date from the 15th century.[1] The most recent State Opening was heldon 17 July 2024, after the2024 United Kingdom general election.[4] It was the second ofCharles III's reign, the first of the newly electedLabour government underSir Keir Starmer, and the first State Opening with aLabour government since 2010.[5]
The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremony filled with historical ritual, constitutional symbolism and practical significance relating to the governance of the United Kingdom.
Parliament is composed of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons,[6] and a State Opening is the only routine occasion when the three are gathered together in one place.[2] The monarch is seated on the throne, at one end of the chamber in front of theCloth of Estate (with theconsort, if present, seated alongside), flanked by an entourage ofGreat Officers of State and members of theRoyal Household. The Lords are seated on "the floor of the House" (i.e. in the main body of the chamber), while the Commons attend at "the bar of the House" (the boundary rail at the far end, facing the throne).
In addition to the Lords themselves, others are provided with seats on the floor of the House on the occasion of a State Opening, namely:[7]
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The ceremonial surrounding the opening of parliament can be broken down into several parts (the following descriptions refer to the full ceremonial of the event; for occasions when, for various reasons, reduced ceremonial has been used, seebelow):
First, the cellars of thePalace of Westminster are searched by theYeomen of the Guard. This is derived from the 1605Gunpowder Plot, an attempted assassination ofJames VI and I in whichGuy Fawkes was caught guarding gunpowder in the cellars hours before the king was to open the second session of theBlessed Parliament. Since that year, the cellars have been searched, now largely, but not only, for ceremonial purposes. This is supervised by theLord Great Chamberlain, and the Yeomen are paid for their services with a small glass ofport wine.[8]
Peers and peeresses assemble in the House of Lords. TheLords Spiritual and theLords Temporal wear theirParliament robes for the occasion. They are joined by senior representatives of the judiciary, who sit onwoolsacks in the centre of the Chamber, and members of the diplomatic corps, who are seated behind the Bishops.[1] The Commons assemble in their own chamber, wearing ordinary day dress, and begin the day, as any other, with prayers. Beforehand the Speaker's Procession takes place in the usual way: preceded by a doorkeeper, theSerjeant at Arms, leads theSpeaker of the House of Commons from his official residence to the Commons Chamber, followed by his trainbearer, chaplain and secretary. In the Central Lobby, apolice inspector makes the traditional cry of "Hats off, strangers!", instructing those assembled to remove their hats in deference to the highest-ranking commoner in the realm.
On the morning of the State Opening, theTreasurer,Comptroller andVice-Chamberlain of the Household (all of whom are government whips) assemble with other senior members of the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace, carrying their ceremonialwhite staves of office.[9] The Treasurer and Comptroller, along with other senior members of the Royal Household, accompany the monarch in the carriage procession; but theLord Chamberlain does not join them. Instead, on behalf of the monarch, he remains at Buckingham Palace keeping one MP (theVice-Chamberlain) "hostage" for the duration of the state opening, by tradition as a surety for the safe return of the monarch. The hostage MP is well entertained until the successful conclusion of the ceremony, when they are released upon the safe return of the monarch.[9][10] The Vice-Chamberlain's imprisonment is now purely ceremonial, though they do remain under guard; originally, it guaranteed the safety of the Sovereign as they entered a possibly hostile Parliament. The tradition is said to stem from the time ofCharles I, who had a contentious relationship with Parliament and was eventually beheaded in 1649 during theCivil War between the monarchy and Parliament (a copy of Charles I's death warrant is displayed in the robing room used by the monarch as a ceremonial reminder of what can happen to a monarch who attempts to interfere with Parliament); however it has been suggested that the custom in its present form is of much more recent origin (mention of hostage-taking only dating back to the 1960s or 70s).[1] In 1845, by contrast, the Lord Chamberlain's routine absence from the State Opening was said to be due to "the department over which his lordship presides not being acknowledged in His Majesty's Palace at Westminster" (where theLord Great Chamberlain instead has the equivalent authority).[11]
Hostage MPs in recent years (all of whom were serving as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household at the time) have included:
Before the arrival of the sovereign, theImperial State Crown is brought to the Palace of Westminster, together with the GreatSword of State and theCap of Maintenance, in their own carriage (usuallyQueen Alexandra's State Coach). TheKing's Bargemaster and Watermen accompany it, acting as footmen (a reminder of past times when the regalia were brought from the Tower of London by river).[17] On arrival at the Sovereign's Entrance, under theVictoria Tower, the Crown is passed by the Bargemaster to the Comptroller of theLord Chamberlain's Office, under the watchful eye of theCrown Jeweller. The regalia are then carried to be displayed in theRoyal Gallery. Also in the procession, usually inKing Edward VII's Town Coach, are the twomaces (separate from the three used by parliament) which are carried by theSerjeants-at-Arms of the Royal Household who escort the regalia in procession.
The monarch travels "in State" from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster,[18] arriving at the Sovereign's Entrance under theVictoria Tower. Travelling in astate coach,[Note 2] the monarch is usually accompanied by his or her consort and sometimes by other members of the royal family. Senior members of the Royal Household follow in other carriages. TheHousehold Cavalry Mounted Regiment provides a Sovereign's Escort, and other members of the armed forces line the processional route from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster.
At the monarch's arrival,the national anthem is played, agun salute is sounded inGreen Park and theRoyal Standard is hoisted in place of theUnion Flag at the top of the Victoria Tower (where it remains until the monarch departs). The monarch is greeted on arrival by theLord Great Chamberlain (who has oversight of the royal areas of the Palace of Westminster) and theEarl Marshal (who has responsibility for State ceremonial), before proceeding to the Robing Room, where they put on theParliament Robe of State[Note 3] and theImperial State Crown.
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Aprocession is formed ofheralds,Great Officers of State and members of the Royal Household, and when all is ready a fanfare is sounded and the monarch proceeds in State through the Royal Gallery to the House of Lords. Directly ahead of the monarch walk two peers: one (nowadays usually theLeader of the House of Lords) carrying theCap of Maintenance, and the other (nowadays generally a retired senior military officer) carrying theGreat Sword of State. Once seated on the throne, the monarch, wearing the Imperial State Crown, instructs the House by saying, "My Lords, pray be seated"; his or her consort, if present, sits on a throne to the sovereign’s left, and his or her children, if present, may be provided with seats elsewhere on the dais.[Note 4][1]
The Imperial State Crown has not been worn invariably: for example, on four occasions in the 20th century Parliament was opened by as yet uncrowned monarchs (i.e. after their accession to the throne, but before their coronation); on these occasions the robe of state was worn but the crown was not (instead it was carried on a cushion by one of the Great Officers of State).[1]
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Motioned by the monarch, the Lord Great Chamberlain raises his white staff of office to signal the official known asBlack Rod to summon the House of Commons. Black Rod turns and, under the escort of the Door-keeper of the House of Lords, proceeds to the Members' Lobby of theHouse of Commons, and reaches the doors of the Commons.
On Black Rod's approach, the Doorkeeper of the Commons orders that the doors are slammed shut against them, symbolising the rights of parliament and its independence from the monarch.[19] The Usher of the Black Rod then strikes with the end of their ceremonial staff (the Black Rod) three times on the closed doors of the Commons Chamber, and is then admitted (there is a mark on the door of the Commons showing the repeated indentations made by Black Rods over the years).
This ritual is strongly associated with the occasion whenKing Charles I stormed into theHouse of Commons in 1642 in an unsuccessful attempt to arrestfive members of Parliament, including the celebrated English patriot and leading parliamentarianJohn Hampden.[20] (Since that time, no British monarch has entered the House of Commons when it is sitting.)[19] The door-closing ritual, however, predates the 1640s, and although it has long since come to symbolise the independence of the Commons, its primary purpose (according toErskine May) is for the Commons to establish Black Rod's identity.[1] Once this has been achieved, Black Rod cannot be refused admission, and all other business of whatever kind in the Commons chamber must cease.
The doors having been opened, the chief doorkeeper of the House of Commons introduces Black Rod. At the bar, Black Rod bows to the Speaker before proceeding to the table, bowing again, and announcing the command of the monarch for the attendance of the Commons, in the following words:
Mr/Madam Speaker, The King/Queen commands this honourable House to attend His/Her Majesty immediately in the House of Peers.
During the later decades of Elizabeth II's reign, a tradition developed for this command to be greeted with a defiant topical comment by republican-leaning Labour MPDennis Skinner, upon which, with some mirth, the House rose to make its way to the Lords' Chamber.[19] This customary intervention was omitted by Mr Skinner in 2015, claiming that he had "bigger fish to fry than uttering something", due to a dispute over seating with the Scottish Nationalists.[21] Skinner resumed the practice in 2016, until he was unseated in 2019.[22]
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The Speaker proceeds to attend the summons at once. TheSerjeant-at-Arms picks up theceremonial mace and, with the Speaker and Black Rod, 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. ThePrime Minister and theLeader of the Opposition followed by TheDeputy Prime Minister,First Secretary of State or another member of the government and the Deputy 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. The only people required to bow are the House of Commons Speaker, Commons Clerk, senior Lords official Black Rod and the Serjeant-at-Arms. 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. They remain standing at the Bar during the speech.
The monarch reads a prepared speech, known as the "Speech from the Throne" or the "King's/Queen's Speech", outlining the Government's agenda for the coming year. The speech is written by theprime minister and their cabinet members, and reflects the legislative agenda for which the Government seeks the agreement of bothHouses of Parliament. It is traditionally written on goatskinvellum, and presented on bended knee for the monarch to read by theLord Chancellor, who produces the scroll from a satchel-like bag. Traditionally, rather than turning their back on the Sovereign, which might appear disrespectful, the Lord Chancellor walks backwards down the steps of the throne, continuing to face the monarch.Lord Irvine of Lairg, the Lord Chancellor at the time, sought to break the custom and applied successfully for permission to turn his back on the sovereign and walk down the steps forwards. The next Lord Chancellor,Jack Straw, continued the former tradition but succeeding Lords Chancellor have mostly chosen to walk forwards.
The whole speech is addressed to "My Lords and Members of the House of Commons", with one significant exception that the monarch says specifically, "Members of the House of Commons, estimates for the public services will be laid before you", since the budget is constitutionally reserved to the Commons.
The monarch reads the entire speech in a neutral and formal tone, implying neither approval nor disapproval of the proposals of their Government: the monarch makes constant reference to "My Government" when reading the text. After listing the main bills to be introduced during the session, the monarch states: "Other measures will be laid before you", thus leaving the government scope to introduce bills not mentioned in the speech. The monarch mentions any state visits they intend to make and also any planned state visits of foreign heads of state to the United Kingdom during the parliamentary session. The monarch concludes the speech in saying: "My Lords and Members of the House of Commons, I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels."
Traditionally, the members of both houses of Parliament listen to the speech respectfully, showing neither approval or dissent towards its contents before it is debated in each house. This silence, however, was broken in 1998, when Queen Elizabeth II announced the government's plan of abolishing the right ofhereditary peers to automatically sit in the House of Lords. A few Labour members of the House of Commons cried "yes" and "hear", prompting several of the Lords to shout "no" and "shame". The Queen continued delivering her speech without any pause, ignoring the intervention. The conduct of those who interrupted the speech was strongly criticised at the time.[23]
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Following the speech, the monarch and his or her retinue leave the chamber. The monarch bows to both sides of the House of Peers and then leaves the chamber, walking in procession back to the Robing Room, before the Commons bow again and return to their Chamber.
After the departure of the monarch from the palace, each Chamber proceeds to the consideration of an "Address in Reply to His/ Her Majesty's Gracious Speech." But first, each House considers a billpro forma to symbolise their right to deliberate independently of the monarch. In the House of Lords, the bill is called theSelect Vestries Bill, while the Commons equivalent is theOutlawries Bill. The bills are considered for the sake of ceremony only, and do not make any actual legislative progress. For the address in reply, a chosen member moves "That a humble Address be presented to His Majesty, as follows". The following is the form used in the House of Lords and is nearly identical to that used in the House of Commons:
Most Gracious Sovereign,We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave to thank Your Majesty for the most gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.[24]
The first speech of the debate in the Commons is, by tradition, a humorous one given by a member selected in advance. 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.
Following this debate, a vote is taken on the Government Programme. This vote is treated as avote of no confidence and losing this vote will automatically trigger a general election. When theFixed-term Parliaments Act was in force, a general election was not automatically triggered if the vote was lost.[25]
Since 1901, the monarch has opened Parliament in person on all but six occasions.[1] In 1929 and 1935 King George V was too ill to attend; in 1951 King George VI was too ill to attend; in 1959 and 1963 Queen Elizabeth II was pregnant and did not attend. In each of these yearsLords Commissioners were appointed to preside over the opening, with the speech being read by the Presiding Commissioner (namely the Lord Chancellor). The speech was prefaced with the words:
"My Lords and Members of the House of Commons, We are commanded to deliver to you His/Her Majesty’s Speech in His/Her Majesty's own words".[1]
In 2022, when the Queen was absent on the day at short notice due to "episodic mobility problems", the heir-apparent to the throne and the heir's eldest son (the thenPrince of Wales, now Charles III, and theDuke of Cambridge, now Prince of Wales) were appointed under the authority of section 6 of theRegency Act 1937 to open Parliament asCounsellors of State, with the then-Prince of Wales reading the speech from the consort's throne on this occasion.[1]
On certain other occasions through history, ceremonial aspects of the State Opening have been scaled back for specific reasons (including plague in 1593, threats of assassination in 1679 and wartime restrictions in place from 1917–1919 and 1939–1948).[1]
On three occasions in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (namely March 1974, June 2017 and December 2019) the State Opening was conducted in a "dressed-down" manner, due to thesnap general elections held in those years. On these occasions the Queen attended in day dress, rather than the traditional ceremonial robes of state, and theImperial State Crown was carried in front of the Queen rather than worn. Inside the Palace, there were reduced numbers in the procession, and outside motor cars were used in place of horse-drawn carriages (and no military escort accompanied them).[26] Otherwise, the ceremony remained largely the same.
In 2021,the ceremony was scaled down due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The Queen wore day dress and arrived by car at Westminster,[27] where seating was restricted: 74 were allowed in the Lords Chamber, whilst 34 further MPs and peers were able to participate from the gallery. To prevent the spread of the virus, mask-wearing and testing was enforced, and the Lord Chancellor did not directly pass the speech to the Queen, but placed it on a table next to the throne.[28] The State Opening in May 2022 was also scheduled to take place with reduced ceremonial, due to the Queen suffering "episodic mobility problems" (which eventually led to her being absent on the day).[1]
Throughout the twentieth century (including in wartime) the State Opening took place on an annual basis, with the following exceptions:[29]
In the twenty-first century the State Opening continued on an annual basis, with the following exceptions:
The Opening of Parliament[44] began out of practical necessity. By the late 14th century, the manner in which the King gathered his nobles and representatives of the Commons had begun to follow an established pattern. First of all,Peers' names were checked against the list of those who had beensummoned, and representatives of the Commons were checked against thesheriffs' election returns. The Peers were robed and sat in thePainted Chamber at thePalace of Westminster; the Commons were summoned, and stood at the Bar (threshold) of the Chamber. A speech or sermon was then given (usually by theLord Chancellor) explaining why Parliament had been summoned, after which the Lords and Commons went separately to discuss the business in hand. The monarch normally presided, not only for the Opening but also for the deliberations which followed (unless prevented by illness or other pressing matters); the Painted Chamber was one of the monarch's private apartments.
In the Tudor period, the modern structure of Parliament began to emerge, and the monarch no longer attended during normal proceedings. For this reason, the State Opening took on greater symbolic significance as an occasion for the full constitution of the State (Monarch, Lords and Commons) to be seen. In this period, the parliamentary gathering began to be preceded by an open-airState Procession (which often attracted large numbers of onlookers): the Monarch, together with Household retinue, would proceed in State from whichever royal residence was being used, first to Westminster Abbey for a service (usually aMass of the Holy Ghost, prior to the Reformation), and thence on foot (accompanied by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in their robes) to the Palace of Westminster for the Opening itself.
The Wriothesley Garter Book, a 1523 illustration byThomas Wriothesley, depicts King Henry VIII seated in Parliament in that year. It shows a remarkable visual similarity between State Openings of the 16th and 21st centuries. In both cases, the monarch sits on athrone before the Cloth of Estate, crowned and wearing a crimson robe of state; at his right hand sit CardinalThomas Wolsey,Archbishop of York andLord Chancellor, with arms above under a cardinal's hat, andWilliam Warham,Archbishop of Canterbury, with arms above. Behind standsCuthbert Tunstall,Bishop of London andLord Keeper of the Privy Seal.[45] TheCap of Maintenance andSword of State are borne by peers standing before the monarch on the left and right respectively; theLord Great Chamberlain stands alongside, bearing his white wand of office, near theGarter King of Arms in histabard displaying theroyal arms (Thomas Wriothesley himself, the illustrator).[46] Members of the Royal retinue are arrayed behind the King (top right). In the main body of the Chamber, the Bishops are seated on benches to the King's right wearing their parliamentary robes, with the Mitred Abbots behind them.[Note 5] The Lords Temporal are seated to the King's left and on the cross-bench, the status of peers is indicated by the number of miniver bars (white fur edged with gold oak-leaf lace) on their peerage robes: 4 for a duke, 3½ for a marquess, 3 for an earl, 2½ for a viscount, and 2 for a baron. Thus there are 2 dukes, both wearing ducal coronets, the first holding a Marshal's Baton, thus he is theDuke of Norfolk,Earl Marshal of England.William Weston, Prior of theHospital of St John of Jerusalem, premier baron in the roll of peers, dressed in black, sits at the end of the cross-bench.[45] The judges (red-robed andcoifed) are on thewoolsacks in the centre (twoChief Justices, eight judges, and fourSerjeants-at-Law[45]), and behind them kneel the clerks (with quills and inkpots). At the bottom of the picture members of the House of Commons can be seen behind the Bar of the House, withThomas More,[45]Speaker of the House of Commons, in the centre, wearing his black and gold robe of state.
The Palace of Westminster ceased to be a royal residence following a fire in 1512. Afterwards another of the King's residences was on occasion used (in 1523, for instance, the State Opening took place atBridewell Palace, and the Mass beforehand atBlackfriars Priory). When (in 1530) the King moved into thePalace at Whitehall, however, the ceremony returned to Westminster. In 1536, the State Opening was held for the first time in theWhite Chamber of the Palace of Westminster, which is where the House of Lords sat; and so began the custom of the State Opening taking place in the Upper House of Parliament.
Since that time the ceremonial has evolved, but not dramatically. In 1679 neither the procession nor the Abbey service took place due to thePopish Plot conspiracy theory; although the procession was subsequently restored, the service in the Abbey was not. The monarch's role in the proceedings changed over time: early on, the monarch would say some introductory words, before calling upon the Lord Chancellor (or Lord Keeper) to address the assembly. James I, however, was accustomed to speak at greater length himself, and sometimes dispensed with the Chancellor's services as spokesman. This varying pattern continued in subsequent reigns (and during the Commonwealth, when Cromwell gave the speech), but from 1679 onwards it became the norm for the monarch alone to speak. Since then, the monarch (if present) has almost invariably given the speech, with the exception of George I (whose command of English was poor) and Victoria (after the death of Prince Albert). Duringthe Regency of 1811-1820, thePrince of Wales attended in full state and gave a Prince Regent's Speech.
A dramatic change was occasioned bythe destruction of the old Palace of Westminster by fire in 1834. After that, the Painted Chamber (which had been gutted in the blaze) was roofed over and fitted up to serve as a temporary house of Lords, pending the rebuilding of the palace; the State Opening took place there until 1847, when the new Lords' chamber was opened.
The new palace was designed with the ceremony of the State Opening very much in mind;[47] the choreography of the modern ceremony may be said to date from 1852,[48] when the "Victoria Tower entrance" was used for the first time, and likewise "the Royal Staircase, Norman Porch, new Robing Room and Royal Gallery",[49] establishing the modern processional route.
Between 1837 and 1861, Queen Victoria missed the State Opening on only four occasions (each time due to pregnancy); but following the death of the Prince Consort she avoided ceremonial events. She attended the State Opening in 1866 wearing a black dress and veil rather than the robe of state (which was instead draped over the throne); on this occasion she delegated the reading of the speech to the Lord Chancellor. Victoria attended the State Opening on six further occasions (in the 1870s-80s), wearing asmall diamond crown in place of the Imperial State Crown; but otherwise delegated the opening of Parliament to Lords Commissioners (one of whom was usually the Prince of Wales).[1] It was not until the latter's accession asEdward VII in 1901 that the full state ceremonial of the event was restored (with the king being in regular attendance and reading the speech himself).[1] King George V resumed wearing the Imperial State Crown in 1913.
During the two world wars the ceremonial was reduced, and by necessity modified: for example, in 1940 the entire State Opening took place inChurch House, Westminster for reasons of security; and then from 1941-1944 it took place in the Robing Room, which was serving as a temporary chamber for the Lords while theirs was in use by the Commons (whose chamber had been destroyed inthe Blitz). Full ceremonial was restored for the most part in 1948, with the crown and robes returning two years later (once the Lords had vacated the Robing Room).[1]
QueenElizabeth II opened every session of Parliament during her reign, except in 1959, 1963, and 2022. In 1959 and 1963, she was pregnant with Prince Andrew (laterAndrew Mountbatten Windsor) andPrince Edward respectively and those two sessions were opened byLords Commissioners, headed by theArchbishop of Canterbury (Geoffrey Fisher in 1959 andMichael Ramsey in 1963), empowered by the Queen.[Note 6] The Queen also missed the2022 State Opening on the advice of her doctors. That session was opened by her sonCharles, Prince of Wales and her grandsonPrince William, Duke of Cambridge who, in their capacity asCounsellors of State, were empowered to do so byLetters Patent issued by the Queen for the occasion,[1] the Prince of Wales reading the Queen's Speech (from the consort's throne) on behalf of his mother.[50]
In 1958, the entire State Opening of Parliament was filmed[51] and televised for the first time.[52] In 1998, minor adjustments were made to the ceremonial inside Parliament with a view to shortening the proceedings.[53][Note 7]
In the 1998 Queen's Speech, Elizabeth II faced an unprecedented outburst when she outlined the government's plan to ban most hereditary peers from sitting in the House of Lords. The Queen's Speech was interrupted by shouts of "hear hear" from Labour MPs, and some peers appeared to respond to the interruption with "shame". This was regarded as a considerable act of discourtesy, and the first time in living memory that the sovereign's address, which is normally listened to in total silence, had been interrupted.[54][55]
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In addition to the UK, Opening of Parliament ceremonies are held in otherCommonwealth realms. Thegovernor-general or, in the case ofAustralia's states andCanada's provinces, the relevantgovernor orlieutenant governor, respectively, usually delivers the speech from the throne. On occasion, the monarch may open these parliaments and deliver the speech him or herself. In Canada, King Charles III delivered the speech on May 27, 2025 for the first time since Queen Elizabeth II delivered one in 1977. In Australia, the last time a reigning monarch delivered the speech in person was March 1977.[56] In New Zealand, the monarch last opened parliament personally in February 1990.[57]
In Spain theSolemn Opening of the Parliament of Spain is conducted by the monarch.
InMalaysia, theParliament of Malaysia also conducts an annual State Opening, usually in March, presided over by theYang di-Pertuan Agong. However, parliament is opened in the lower house (theDewan Rakyat) rather than the upper house (theDewan Negara), thus the sitting is conducted byits Speaker. Additionally, as there is no equivalent to the Lord Chancellor, the speech is presented to the Monarch bythe Prime Minister.[citation needed]
In India, thePresident of India 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 asMalta,Mauritius andSingapore.[citation needed]
In theNetherlands a similar ceremony is held on the third Tuesday in September, which is calledPrinsjesdag in the Netherlands. Article 65 of the constitution states that "A statement of the policy to be pursued by the Government is given by or on behalf of the King before a joint session of the two Houses of the States General that is held every year on the third Tuesday in September or on such earlier date as may be prescribed by Act of Parliament." In Norway, the King is required by Article 74 of the constitution to preside over the opening of the Storting after it had been declared to be legally constituted by the president of the Storting. After he delivers the Speech from the Throne, outlining the government's policies for the coming year, a member of the government reads the Report on the State of the Realm, an account of the government's achievements of the past year.[58]
In Sweden a similar ceremony as the British was held until 1974, when the constitution was changed. The old opening of state was in Sweden calledRiksdagens högtidliga öppnande ("The solemn opening of theRiksdag") and was, as the British, full of symbolism. After the abolition of the old state opening,the opening is now held in the Riksdag but in the presence of themonarch and his family. It is still the King who officially opens the parliament. After the opening of parliament the King gives a speech followed by the Prime Minister's declaration of government.[citation needed]
In Israel, a semi-annual ceremony, attended by thePresident, opens the winter and summer sessions of theKnesset. Though in the past he was a guest sitting in the Knesset's upper deck, the President now attends the ceremony from the speaker's podium and gives his own written address regarding the upcoming session. In the first session of each legislative period of the Knesset, the President has the duty of opening the first session himself and inaugurating the temporary Knesset speaker, and then conducting the inauguration process of all of the Knesset members.[citation needed]
In some countries with presidential or similar systems in which the roles ofhead of state and head of government are merged, the chief executive's annual speech to the legislative branch is imbued with some of the ceremonial weight of a parliamentary state opening. The most well-known example is theState of the Union Address in the United States. Other examples include theState of the Nation Address in the Philippines, a former American dependency. These speeches differ from a State Opening in at least two respects, however: they do not in fact open the legislative session, and they are delivered by the chief executive on his or her own behalf.[citation needed] In Poland, thePresident of Poland delivers his speech to theSejm and theSenate at the First Sitting of these Houses, which is similar to Speech from the Throne. It is rather a custom than a law. MostPresidents of Poland delivered the Speech to theParliament. The exception was in 2007, when PresidentLech Kaczyński, instead of addressing theSejm, watched the First Sitting of the 6th termSejm from the Presidential box in the Press gallery.[citation needed] ThePresident of Mexico used to be constitutionally obliged to deliver a speech, similar to the American State of the Union, until 2006 when PresidentVicente Fox was impeded by the opposition parties from entering the Congress building for his sixth and final speech. Since that incident, the Constitution no longer requires the President's presence at the opening of Congress.[citation needed]
During her first eagerly awaited tour over the summer of 1953-4 Parliament was summoned for a special short session in January to allow her to open Parliament and deliver the Speech from the Throne. She again opened a special session of Parliament in February 1963. She also opened Parliament in March 1970 and February 1974. In February 1977 she opened another special session at the same time as formally opening the Beehive (the Executive Wing). More recently she has opened Parliament in February 1986 and February 1990.
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