Monarch in Parliament
From the Middle Ages onwards ceremonies have played a regular part in the proceedings of the House of Lords. The most important of these were the royal ceremonies, at which the monarch was present, and the State Opening of Parliament has always been the most elaborate of these ceremonies. In the Middle Ages the king, unless ill or on campaign, was expected to be present at this and other parliamentary sessions because it was his parliament.
'Lords and Commons were then told to meet ... and to consider how government could be improved.'
By the later 14th century the opening proceedings followed a well-established pattern. The Lords assembled with the great officers of state in the House of Lords Chamber. The Commons were then led to stand at the Bar of the Chamber, where the king sat in state, surrounded by the Lords, who were seated in order of rank and in their parliamentary robes.
An address was then made (now called the Speech from the Throne) concerning the state of the kingdom and the reasons for Parliament being summoned. Lords and Commons were then told to meet separately to discuss these matters, and to consider how government could be improved.
Responsibility for marshalling and leading the procession to the State Opening lay with the Earl Marshall and subsequently the garter king of arms and other heralds. Although the balance of political power has changed dramatically in subsequent centuries, in general terms this is how the State Opening of Parliament is conducted to this day at Westminster.
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Published: 2005-02-07
