Ceremonies are what make the British monarchy legendary. Tourism to Britain skyrockets when there is a regal show — accommodation from the simplest hostels to the chicest hotels get fully booked– and people certainly get their money’s worth of majestic pomp.
State Opening of Parliament
The Opening of Parliament is a very important annual event in the government. It joins together the three elements of the legislature: the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and His Majesty the King. This ceremony represents the Crown in Parliament.
Though The King is a Constitutional Monarch and outside of politics, he is the Head of State for the country and its Commonwealth realms. The government is referred to as “His Majesty’s Government”, and it is therefore The King’s duty to formally open the new session of Parliament each year in the autumn.
Sessions of Parliament are held in the Palace of Westminster, the famous building that contains the clock tower with “Big Ben” and sits on the River Thames.
Special traditions are carried out prior to The King’s arrival at Parliament. One of the most famous is the searching of the cellars at Westminster Palace by a group of Yeomen of the Guard (meanwhile, members of the police do a routine and more modern security check of their own, along with their very real and very modern guns).
The searching of the cellars dates back to 1605 when Guido “Guy” Fawkes filled the cellars of Parliament full of gunpowder in a plot to blow up the king. He was arrested for treason and tortured. Every November 5th, therefore, is celebrated as “Guy Fawkes Night”, and people set off fireworks and burn effigies of Fawkes the traitor.
Westminster Hall, the great hall within the palace, is used for major public ceremonial events, usually the Lying-in-State for major political and royal figures. The late Queen Elizabeth II rested here so that the public could pay its final respects. Queues several miles long with a wait of 20+ hours were typical of such an event.
Trooping The Colour
This is one of the most famous parades that Britain has to offer. The Trooping the Colour ceremony takes place each June on Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall.
The Sovereign personally carries out an inspection of the troops, who make up five Household Regiments – Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards. The ceremony in which they partake combines two very old military ceremonies – Trooping the Colour and Mounting The King’s Guard.
A feature of guard mounting was for the colors of the battalion to be trooped (paraded) down the line in order to acquaint the soldiers with their battalion’s flag, to be used as a rallying point in battle. The divisions each take a turn in the Trooping ceremony each year, as only one Colour can be trooped at a time.
WATCH: Soldiers from the Household Cavalry during the Trooping The Colour ceremony at the Mountbatten Memorial on June 14, 2008 in London. The ceremony dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th Century.
The parade also marked the “official” public birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. Although her true birthday was in April, this particular date for an official celebration was probably chosen with good weather in mind. June is usually less rainy than the springtime month of April. June is also an ideal month should the Sovereign’s real birthday be in the winter, as was the case with George VI!
Coronations
Elizabeth II
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place on June 2, 1953 following her accession on February 6, 1952 – the date of her father’s death.
The coronation ceremony has remained virtually unchanged for over 900 years. The ritual takes place at the great Westminster Abbey in London and is conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Representatives from the Houses of Parliament, Church and State are witnesses to the event. Prime ministers are invited to attend as well, along with the heads of Commonwealth nations.
The coronation of the new Sovereign follows some months after his/her accession. It allows for the proper period of mourning for the deceased sovereign. Time is also needed to organize such a complex ceremony.
A coronation is an occasion for celebration and elaborate pageantry, but it is also a solemn religious event. The new king/queen is anointed, blessed, and consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury while sitting in King Edward’s chair, a throne used by every sovereign since the early 1600s.
After receiving the sceptres, the Sovereign has St Edward’s Crown placed on his head. After homage is paid by the Archbishop of Canterbury and senior peers, Holy Communion is celebrated.
As with any carefully planned event, there are still occasional unforseen slip-ups. Lord Rolle, who went to pay homage to Queen Victoria during her coronation, stumbled on the steps and went crashing back to the bottom in a heap. The elderly and somewhat infirm Lord then stood to re-ascend the steps, only to be met by The King at the bottom in order to prevent another fall. The foreign dignitaries thought it was normal procedure, as his name was Rolle!*
• Music Used In The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II:
› Trumpet Tune – Purcell
› I Was Glad – Parry
› Behold, O God Our Defender – Howells
› Let My Prayer Come Up – Harris
› Zadok The Priest – Handel
› Be Strong And Of Good Courage – Dyson
› Rejoice In The Lord Alway – Anon.
› Thou Wilt Keep Him In Perfect Peace – S.S. Wesley
› All People That On Earth Do Dwell
› Sanctus – Vaughan Williams
› O Taste And See – Vaughan Williams
› Gloria In Excelsis – Stanford
› Te Deum Laudamus – Walton
› Fanfare and National Anthem
› March: Orb and Sceptre – Walton
› March: Crown Imperial – Walton
* From “Queen Victoria” by Sidney Lee. Click here for more details of the Queen’s Coronation music.
King Charles III
May 6th, 2023
Photos:
- Parliament with the River Thames by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash
- Lighted Palace of Wstminster by Michael D. Beckwith
- Close-up of Elizabeth Tower by Stanley Dai on Unsplash
