Queen's speech: your guide to all the parliamentary pomp and pageantry

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/27/queens-speech-state-opening-parliament-pomp-guide

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What is the Queen’s speech?

The Queen’s speech is the centrepiece of the official state opening of parliament, a ceremony that can be traced as far back as the 14th century, though most of the modern traditions were established from 1852, when the Palace of Westminster was reopened after a fire.

The Queen’s speech takes place at the start of each new parliamentary session, in this case after the general election in May. In the speech, the Queen sets out the government’s policies and proposals to MPs and peers for the coming session in a stately ceremony in the House of Lords.

There is usually one Queen’s speech every year. However, in 2011 the ruling Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition decided against having one, arguing that it had so much legislation it wanted to pass that it needed more time to be scrutinised in the House of Commons. The coalition also moved the state opening to spring, from its traditional November date.

Does the Queen write her own speech?

No, the speech is written by the government of the day – the cabinet and the prime minister – and this year is expected to include sections on tax cuts for low earners, plans to replace the Human Rights Act, the EU referendum and the snooper’s charter.

The speech is traditionally delivered by the monarch in a neutral, formal tone to show neither approval nor disapproval of the proposals. It varies in length depending on the number of bills the government has chosen to include, though usually runs to about 10 minutes. The Queen also gives details of any upcoming state visits that she is scheduled to be hosting or attending.

Who is Black Rod and what does he do?

Black Rod, or the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, summons the House of Commons for the speech and carries an ebony staff topped with a golden lion.

For his part in the ritual, Black Rod approaches the door to the Commons before it is slammed in his face to symbolise the independence of the Commons. Black Rod then bangs on the door three times before he is admitted to make his summons to the Speaker.

The Speaker then leads the MPs from the House of Commons to the House of Lords.

The Queen’s transport

The Queen arrives in a horse-drawn coach with her royal consort as members of the armed forces line the route. Last year, a new coach was unveiled for the Queen’s speech in 2014, only the second state carriage built in 100 years. In front of the Queen travels another coach dedicated to carrying the Imperial State Crown.

Parliamentary pomp and pageantry

The speech used to be presented to the Queen in the House of Lords on a scroll of goatskin vellum, but since 2013 has been given on ‘goatskin parchment paper’ containing no actual goat. (For further reading on this, please see Nick Robinson’s extensive research on goat watermarks.)

The speech is presented to the Queen by the Lord Chancellor, who this year is the justice secretary Michael Gove.

In the Lords, the peers assemble in red and fur at their benches while the country’s top judges sit in the middle wearing wigs, with the Queen and her consort sat on the thrones at the head of the chamber with assorted members of the royal household.

In a more recent addition, socialist and republican Labour MP Dennis Skinner makes a jibe after Black Rod speaks. These have included telling the Queen to “pay her taxes” in 1992 and “Tell her to read the Guardian” in 2000.

Other rituals include:

The Searching of the Cellars: Before the Queen attends the event, members of the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster in order to prevent a modern-day Guy Fawkes-style Gunpowder Plot more than 400 years on.

Delivering the Hostage: In a custom which seems somewhat reminiscent of an episode of Game of Thrones, the monarch keeps the vice-chamberlain, a government whip, ‘prisoner’ after delivering the ceremonial white staves to Buckingham Palace in order to guarantee the safe return of the Queen.

The hostage-taking has occurred since the time of Charles I, the monarch executed in 1649 during the English Civil War. When the Queen arrives at parliament, she enters the Robing Chamber where a copy of Charles’s death warrant hangs on the wall as a reminder of the bloody history.

What happens after the speech?

After the state opening, the government’s programme is debated by the two houses. The debate, which lasts for several days, gives MPs the chance to speak about any of the new Tory government’s plans.

The first motion of the new session debates the speech, which is referred to in the two houses as a “Humble Address”. Proposing this motion is regarded as an honour in the Commons and two humorous speeches are usually given by one relatively new backbench government MP and one senior government MP.

The proposal is followed by a speech from the prime minister and a response from the leader of the opposition before a normally symbolic vote to pass the monarch’s speech.