 The throne of Canada (left) and throne for the royal consort (right)—both commissioned in 1878—behind the speaker's chair in theSenate |
Thethrones of Canada are the chairs for themonarch androyal consort orgovernor general andviceregal consort, usually located in theSenate chamber ofParliament. There are presently two sets ofthrones for the federal Parliament, the first commissioned in 1878 and currently undergoing restoration, and the second, made in 2017, in use in thetemporary Senate, while theCentre Block of Parliament is under renovation. There are also thrones for thelieutenant governors representing the monarch in eachprovincial legislature.
SinceConfederation in 1867, a throne has always been present in theSenate chamber, signifying the connection betweenCrown and Parliament.[1] The sovereign, or the governor general representing the sovereign, sits in the monarch's throne to read thespeech from the throne, as part of theopening of Parliament. To grantroyal assent to bills passed by theCommons andSenate, the governor general sits "at the foot of the throne", that is, in the speaker's chair. The governor general also uses the sovereign's throne at their installation ceremony. If the sovereign or governor general is accompanied by their consort, the latter sits on the consort's throne, to the left of the sovereign's. The 1878 thrones have occasionally been moved outside for ceremonies onParliament Hill, such as thecentennial of Confederation in 1967 and the signing of theConstitution Act, 1982.
In the legislature of eachprovince, the relevantlieutenant governor uses the speaker's chair for a throne and there is no throne for the viceregal consort in those parliaments.
The thrones in theSenate chamber ofParliament were commissioned in 1878, ahead of the arrival ofJohn Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, asGovernor General of Canada, accompanied by his wife,Princess Louise, who would serve asviceregal consort.[2] The chairs were made by theToronto firm Holbrook & Mollington, costing $329.70,[2] and are made ofoak, carved in the style of 19th centuryGothic Revival, including vines, oak leaves, and medallion heads.[1] The monarch's throne bears a carved rendition of theroyal coat of arms of the United Kingdom (as Canada was then under theBritish monarch) and the consort's chair, designed specifically for Princess Louise, hasher personal coat of arms on the headpiece. The carved faces on either side of each throne are unidentified; they are possibly the visages of the craftsmen who constructed the thrones.[2]
ForQueen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977, the monarch's throne was depicted on a commemorativesilver dollar.[2] The throne is also recreated as part of astatue of Queen Elizabeth II in front of theOntario Legislative Building in Toronto.
 The sovereign's throne (left) and royal consort's throne (right)—made in 2017 usingEnglish walnut fromWindsor Great Park, donated by Queen Elizabeth II—behind the speaker's chair in thetemporary Senate chamber |
To commemorate thesesquicentennial of Confederation in 2017, and while theCentre Block of Parliament is under renovation and the Senate is relocated to theSenate of Canada Building, a pair of thrones and a speaker's chair were commissioned from Dominion SculptorPhil White. These were designed in aNeoclassical style that both meshes with theBeaux-Arts architecture of the building and draws inspiration from the thrones John Pearson, the architect of the Centre Block, conceived of in the 1920s. UsingEnglish walnut fromWindsor Great Park that was donated by Canada's then-reigning monarch, QueenElizabeth II, the thrones were completed by craftsmen and upholsterers fromOntario andQuebec. Theroyal cypher of Elizabeth II is carved andgilded on the headpiece of the sovereign's throne and it and the consort's throne bear crowns atop the headpieces and theescutcheon (shield) and ribbon of theRoyal Coat of Arms of Canada are embroidered on the chair backs.Lilies, symbolizing themonarchs ofNew France, andTudor roses, for themonarchs of pre-Confederation Canada, adorn other parts of the thrones.[1]
The thrones were first used by a monarch whenKing Charles III opened parliament during the2025 royal visit to Canada.
Though the monarch's representative, thelieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, uses thespeaker's chair in the legislative chamber ofProvince House to deliver the throne speech at theopening of parliament,[3] the province does have separate thrones located in the legislature's Red Chamber, which was home of theparliament's upper house until 1928. Made frommahogany, the near-identical thrones—one for the monarch or lieutenant governor and the other for the royal or viceregal consort—bearrose,thistle,shamrock, andmayflower carved into headpieces, surmounted bySt Edward's Crown on the sovereign's throne and theCrown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on the slightly smaller consort's throne.[4] Other parts of the thrones are covered inacanthus scrolls.[5]
The first chair was made in 1860,[5] for Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later KingEdward VII), during his tour ofthe Maritimes andthe Canadas that year. The second throne was made by A.H. MacMillan in 1939 forQueen Elizabeth, the consort of KingGeorge VI, during theirroyal tour of Canada.[4] The thrones are positioned beneath portraits of KingGeorge III andQueen Charlotte.
In the Confederation Chamber ofProvince House inCharlottetown is a chair formerly used byJames Cummiskey as Speaker of theLegislative Council. It was also used as a throne by thelieutenant governor at formal openings of the legislative session. Catherine Hennessy, of the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, purchased the chair from Cummiskey's daughter, Kate MacKenzie, in 1970 and it was held in storage untilParks Canada began a renovation of Province House, including restoration of the chair.[6]
Thespeaker of the Legislative Assembly's chair is now used as a throne by the lieutenant governor.
