State Procession at the State Opening of Parliament
The
The State Opening of Parliament is one of the few occasions when a State Procession is to be seen; the
Historical background
An account of
In due course, the
Change was necessitated after the Palace of Westminster was severely damaged by fire in 1514. In both 1523 and 1529, the Opening of Parliament took place in
For the 1679 State Opening, there was no procession and no service in the Abbey (for fear of a
The Old Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by fire in 1834. The new Palace was purpose built (among other things) to accommodate the ceremonial of a State Opening.
Present-day Participants in the Procession
The Procession falls into four main sections:
- The Officers of arms, two Serjeants-at-Arms, Black Rod
- The Great Officers of State
- The King and Queen (immediately preceded by peers carrying the Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance) [Note 1]
- Members of the Royal Household
The latter contingent includes a combination of royal officials and attendants, plus others who are there by virtue of holding honorary positions in the Royal Household (namely several Government Whips and the professional heads of the Armed Services).
The Prince and Princess of Wales, if present, would join the procession behind the King and Queen.[3]
As of 2023, the Procession is constituted as follows:
Pursuivants |
Pursuivants
| ||
Heralds |
Heralds
| ||
Lady Usher of the Black Rod |
|||
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms | Clarenceux King of Arms | ||
Serjeant at Arms |
Serjeant at Arms
| ||
Garter King of Arms |
|||
The Lord Privy Seal[Note 2] | The Lord Speaker | ||
The Lord High Chancellor | The Lord President of the Council | ||
The Lord Great Chamberlain | The Earl Marshal | ||
The Sword of State |
The Cap of Maintenance
| ||
(borne by a Peer) | (borne by a Peer)[Note 3] | ||
His Majesty The King accompanied by Her Majesty The Queen |
|||
(The King wearing the Pages of Honour; , the Queen wearing a diadem her train borne by two Pages of Honour.) |
|||
A Queen's Companion | A Queen's Companion | ||
Gold Stick in Waiting[Note 4] |
The Lord Steward | The Master of the Horse | |
Aide de Camp (Chief of the Defence Staff ) |
|||
Air Aide-de-Camp[Note 5] |
First and Principal Naval Aide de Camp[Note 6] |
Aide de Camp General[Note 7]
| |
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard[Note 8] | A Lord or Baroness in Waiting[Note 9] |
Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms[Note 10]
| |
Keeper of the Privy Purse | Private Secretary to The Queen | Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
Comptroller of the Household[Note 11] | Treasurer of the Household[Note 12] | ||
Equerry in Waiting to The King | Equerry in Waiting to The Queen | Comptroller, The Lord Chamberlain's Office | |
Silver Stick in Waiting |
Field Officer in Brigade Waiting |
Other members of the royal family
Occasionally one or two of the monarch's children have walked in the procession, behind the monarch and consort, and occupied positions on the dais either side of the throne (sometimes accompanied by their spouses).[Note 13][3]
Prior to the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, members of the extended royal family who were Peers or Peeresses (including Dowagers) often used to attend the State Opening; they, however, were seated on the benches of the chamber and did not form part of the State Procession.
Carriage procession
On the morning of the State Opening, the King and Queen travel 'in State' from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, riding in a state coach and escorted by a Sovereign's Escort of the Household Cavalry.[4] Other carriages follow (namely the glass coach and three state landaus), conveying members of the Royal Household who will later take part in the State Procession.
Earlier, a separate carriage procession (escorted by a Regalia Escort of the Household Cavalry) conveys the crown, the sword of state and the cap of maintenance (in one carriage), and the serjeants at arms with their maces (in another) by the same route to the Palace of Westminster.
After the State Opening has concluded, the carriage processions return to Buckingham Palace.
See also
Notes
- ^ The Imperial State Crown is also carried ahead of the monarch if for any particular reason it is not being worn.
- ^ The Leader of the House of Lords (who since 2019 has also held the office of Lord Privy Seal) is usually given the role of carrying the Cap of Maintenance, and therefore walks just ahead of the monarch.
- ^ Usually the Leader of the House of Lords.
- ^ The Princess Royal in 2023.
- ^ The Chief of the Air Staff.
- ^ The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff.
- ^ The Chief of the General Staff.
- ^ A Government Whip in the House of Lords
- ^ A Government Whip in the House of Lords
- ^ A Government Whip in the House of Lords
- ^ A Government Whip in the House of Commons.
- ^ A Government Whip in the House of Commons.
- ^ Under the terms of the House of Lords Precedence Act 1539 'none but the King’s Children shall sit on either Side of the Cloth of Estate in Parliament'.
References
- ^ Cobb H.S. 'The Staging of Ceremonies in the House of Lords' in The Houses of Parliament: History, Art, Architecture. London: Merrell 2000.
- ^ Cannadine, D. 'The Palace of Westminster as Palace of Varieties'
- ^ a b Torrance, David (2023). State Opening of Parliament - history and ceremonial (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ Court Circular, 7 November 2023.