It’s the state opening of parliament on Thursday, which means we’ll be treated to another Queen’s Speech.
If it feels like we’ve just been through all of this, it’s because we have – parliament was last opened on October 14, before closing again for the general election.
It’s a ceremony steeped in pomp and tradition dating back hundreds of years, and it’s fair to say things can get a little weird.
Here are eight of the the more bizarre customs we can expect to see unfold: 1) The crown gets its own ride because of courseAs you might expect, the
Queen will arrive in an ornate golden carriage – but her jewels will get a separate (very special) ride of their own, too.
There’ll be a parade from Buckingham Palace to Westminster – complete with a horse-drawn carriage – and the royal will be escorted by the Household Calvary.
They’ll also be escorting the Imperial State Crown, the Cap of Maintenance and the Great Sword of State to a special entrance reserved only for the monarch – the Sovereign’s Entrance. 2) An MP will be taken hostage at Buckingham PalaceIt’s perhaps not quite as exciting as it sounds – the
police aren’t going to be called and there won’t be any ransom note as it’s just a symbolic kidnapping.
It’s not yet been announced which lucky MP will be held in the palace, but they’ll be there just in case parliament decides not to return the Queen at the end of the session.
The tradition dates back to the 1600s when the relationship between Parliament and the monarch was fraught, to say the least, under Charles I. 3) There’s a search for any gunpowder hidden in the cellarsIt’s now been 411 years since the event but Guy Fawkes still makes the Yeomen of the Guard a bit twitchy so they search the Palace of Westminster looking for gunpowder.
With candles. Thankfully the Metropolitan Police also do a search more suitable for the 21st century.4) Despite dressing up for the occasion, the Black Rod will be humiliated all over againThe Lady Usher of the Black Rod (real name Sarah Clarke) has a bit of a rough time during the whole thing, to be honest.
All she wants to do is escort the MPs from the House of Commons to the House of Lords and every single year she gets the door to the Commons slammed in her face. This is to symbolise the independence of the elected house but, still, it’s gotta hurt.She then has to knock three times with – you’ve guessed it -– her black rod before the bolshy MPs follow her across. 5) She used to be heckled by Dennis Skinner every year – but that won’t be happening this time around The veteran
Labour MP was known for heckling the Black Rod almost every year, but he lost his seat last week after 49 years – so the ceremony might seem oddly muted.
That is unless, of course, another MP decides to take on the role.
In 2017 he went with: “Get your skates on, first race is at half past two” – a reference to the fact the the Queen was due to attend day two of Royal Ascot that afternoon. Skinner’s heckles are as traditional as the Queen’s attendance at the race. Here are some of his more recent:2014: “Coalition’s last stand.”2013: “Royal Mail for sale. Queen’s head privatised.”
2012: “Jubilee year, double dip recession, what a start.”6) Can we just take a moment to reflect on the outfits? 7) The Queen gets absolutely no say on her own speech No matter how much she hates what it says, the monarch still has to read it out.
It’s written entirely by the government, and contains an outline of its policies and proposed legislation for the upcoming parliamentary session.8) There’s likely to be some tension between party leadersWith the general
election campaign still very fresh in out minds,
Boris Johnson and
Jeremy Corbyn will have to endure what is likely to feel like the world’s longest walk as they enter side-by-side to heart the speech.
In the past this has thrown up its fair share of uncomfortable moments – and it’s not likely things will be any different this time around.