King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom marked another milestone of their reign – They presided over the first State Opening of Parliament of the new reign. The opening of the Parliament is an event steeped in tradition and symbolism. King and Queen travelled to the Palace of Westminster in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach escorted by the Household Cavalry.
The traditional ceremony dating back to the 16th century which marks the formal start of the UK’s parliamentary year. Charles chose his Admiral of the Fleet uniform for the ceremony and after reaching the Palace of Westminster, in the robes room he donned the Robes of State, Collar of the Order of Garter and Imperial State Crown.
The Imperial State Crown, Great Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance travelled ahead of the Royal Party to the Palace of Westminster in Queen Alexandra’s State Coach. Since 2016, it was the first time the Monarch has actually worn the crown on the State Opening of the Parliament. During Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the Queen stopped wearing the Crown in 2017 and it was used to placed on a cushion beside The Queen and Queen used to wear a lighter head piece.
Queen Camilla chose to re-wear her white Bruce Oldfield Coronation dress with the King George IV’s Diamond Diadem, her Coronation earrings and Queen Alexandra’s Diamond Riviere.
In 2022, The King who was the Then Prince of Wales opened the Parliament on the behalf of his mother while the Imperial State Crown was placed in the centre. After 70 years, this was the first time when the Parliament was opened by the King.
The State Opening of Parliament is the main ceremonial event in the parliamentary calendar. It marks the start of a parliamentary year. The State Opening of Parliament starts with a ceremonial search of the cellars in the Houses of Parliament. This commemorates Guy Fawkes’ ‘gunpowder plot’ of 1605. The ceremony begins in the Prince’s Chamber in the House of Lords. The search is conducted by the Yeomen of the Guard, the King’s Bodyguard.
Upon Monarch’s arrival at the House of Lords, the members of the House of Commons are invited to the upper chamber where The Monarch delivers the speech. The Monarch’s speech is written by the Government and describes the upcoming major bills that will be discussed during the Parliament year.
