State Procession at the State Opening of Parliament
The State Opening of Parliament includes a State Procession, a formal display of the Sovereign, dignified by a sizeable entourage made up of Great Officers of State, members of the Royal Family and of the Royal Household. The State Procession is now confined to the interior of the Palace of Westminster, but in earlier centuries it followed an outdoor route to and from Westminster Abbey.
The State Opening of Parliament is one of the few occasions when a State Procession is to be seen; the Coronation Procession is another.
Historical Background
An account of Henry VII opening Parliament on 7 November 1485 includes a description of the processions which preceded it. By this time the pattern had become established whereby the Peers of the Realm would assemble at the Palace of Westminster. They would then go in procession on foot to nearby Westminster Abbey for Mass, prior to returning in procession to the Palace for the Opening of Parliament itself.In due course, the heralds, who had the responsibility for marshaling the procession, began to keep detailed records of the event, the earliest of which dates from Henry VIII's first Opening of Parliament in 1510. The 1512 account includes an illustration of the Procession depicting participants together with their armorial bearings. It shows the Lords Spiritual at the front of the procession, accompanied by Heralds and Gentlemen Ushers; the Serjeants-at-Arms follow with their maces, just ahead of Garter King of Arms. The King is preceded by the Cap of Maintenance, borne by the Lord High Constable and the Sword of State, borne by his son. The King himself carries a scepter and walks beneath a richly-decorated canopy supported by four monks. His train is borne by the Lord Great Chamberlain, who is assisted by the Lord Chamberlain. The Lords Temporal follow, among whom can be seen the Lord Steward.
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 Bridewell Palace, following a service in nearby Blackfriars Church. At around this time, Westminster ceased to be a royal residence, becoming instead the fixed abode of Parliament itself. In 1536, the procession set off from the new royal residence of Whitehall. Three years later, the King, Peers and attendants were to be seen riding in procession from Whitehall to the Abbey, in their robes and on horseback. This precedent was followed in subsequent years; Elizabeth I rode on occasion or else was carried in a horse-borne litter. On occasion the King would travel by river from Whitehall to Westminster, using a State Barge.
For the 1679 State Opening, there was no procession and no service in the Abbey. The service was not reinstated, so subsequent processions went directly from the Palace of Whitehall to the Palace of Westminster. At about this time, the practice of all Peers taking part in the procession ceased. In 1698, Whitehall Palace burned down; thereafter St James's became the usual point of departure. In the Georgian period, carriages began regularly to be used for the procession to Westminster. Under George IV, the Palace of Westminster was remodeled by Sir John Soane to provide space for the carriages, a robing room, and a grand interior processional route to the House of Lords.
The Old Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by fire in 1834. The new Palace was purpose built to accommodate the ceremonial of a State Opening. Thus in Victoria's reign, the long-established ceremonial of the State Opening was married to its now-familiar architectural setting of Barry and Pugin's grand parliamentary interiors. The pattern of events then was much as it is now: the monarch, members of the Royal Family and members of the Household arrive in a Carriage Procession from Buckingham Palace ; after a time of preparation, the monarch proceeds in State from the Queen's Robing Room, through the Royal Gallery and Prince's Chamber, to the Throne in the House of Lords.
Present-day Participants in the Procession
The Procession falls into four main sections:- The Officers of arms, two Serjeants-at-Arms and the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod
- The Great Officers of State
- The Queen and her Consort
- Members of the Royal Household
As of 2019, 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 | 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 | |
| ' | ' | |
| The Queen | ||
| accompanied by | ||
| The Prince of Wales | ||
| The Duchess of Cornwall | ||
| A Woman of the Bedchamber | A Lady of the Bedchamber | |
| Gold Stick in Waiting | The Lord Steward | The Master of the Horse |
| Aide de Camp | ||
| Air Aide-de-Camp | First and Principal Naval Aide de Camp | Aide de Camp General |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | A Lord or Baroness in Waiting | Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms |
| Keeper of the Privy Purse | Private Secretary to Her Majesty | |
| Comptroller of the Household | Treasurer of the Household | |
| Equerry in Waiting | Equerry in Waiting | |
| Comptroller, The Lord Chamberlain's Office | Master of the Household of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall |
Former Participants
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household always used to take part, but since the time of Charles II he has remained instead at the monarch's residence where he holds a Member of Parliament 'hostage' pending the monarch's safe return.Until 1998 two Gentleman Ushers were in the procession, in addition to the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod and the Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State. Gentleman Ushers have been in attendance at State Openings since at least the 15th century.
Until 1998 the Queen was attended by three Ladies in Waiting: a Woman of the Bedchamber, a Lady of the Bedchamber and the Mistress of the Robes; subsequently only two of the three have attended.
In the first year of her reign the Groom of the Robes attended, and walked immediately behind the Queen; since then no new appointment has been made; one of the Equerries is instead designated 'Acting Groom of the Robes' for the occasion.
Until 1998 the executive senior officers of the various corps on duty were in the procession as well as the Crown Equerry. They do not now take part in the procession, but are still in attendance elsewhere in and around the Palace.
At the same time, the three service chiefs were removed from the Procession, their place being taken by the more senior Chief of the Defence Staff. In 2012, however, the three service chiefs were reinstated in the Procession.
Other members of the Royal Family
On some occasions, other senior members of the Royal Family have walked in the procession and occupied positions on the dais either side of the throne. The Princess Royal attended on eleven occasions in this capacity though in recent years she has attended in her official capacity as Gold Stick-in-Waiting. The Prince of Wales attended on sixteen occasions between 1967 and 1996. Since 2013 the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have been in regular attendance.Prior to the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999, other members of the Royal Family who were Peers or Peeresses often used to attend the State Opening; they, however, were seated on the benches of the chamber with their peers and did not form part of the Procession.