LONDON — King Charles III wore a very heavy crown. Someone called Black Rod had a door slammed in her face. A lawmaker was held “hostage” by Buckingham Palace.
It was the state opening of Parliament, that time of year when the British monarch announces the new laws on the government’s agenda, but because this is Britain, there was an elaborate ceremony steeped in ancient customs that may seem slightly confusing to the uninitiated.
It was also the first time in more than 70 years that a king delivered the speech, an event made famous — at least for Americans — by the 2010 film starring Colin Firth as the wartime monarch King George VI overcoming a speech impediment. Since 1952, it’s been a queen doing the job, though Charles did stand in for his mother in 2022 because of her ill health.
Prince Charles opens Parliament, but it’s still the Queen’s Speech
It was also the first such event for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak — and he will be hoping it’s not his last. His Conservative Party is trailing badly in the polls, and an election must be held by January 2025.
The King’s Speech is read by the king sitting upon a gilded throne, but in this case, the monarch is just the messenger. The speech is written entirely by the government and is the moment when the prime minister shows what the ruling party’s priorities are. Because there’s a looming election, this speech was watched closely for any clues on how the Conservatives plan to campaign in the next election.
The first bill that Charles, a lifelong environmentalist, found himself reading out was for a new system for awarding oil and gas licenses annually. Under the current system, the licenses are awarded periodically, but the government says the new policy is important for energy security. Charles read the words with a deadpan delivery expected of a monarch, who is supposed to be above politics.
Environmental groups oppose the measure, saying that the United Kingdom should focus on renewables and that the move is an attempt to create a wedge issue with the opposition Labour Party.
Sunak to delay U.K. climate goals to avoid ‘bankrupting’ Britons
Charles, or rather the speech he has been given to read, also announced legislative reforms including a phased smoking ban to create a smoke-free generation; a new regulator for English soccer; greater powers for judges to compel convicted criminals to appear in the dock for their sentencing hearing; and a ban on public bodies boycotting Israel.
The ceremony was a collection of centuries-old customs that recall a time when the relationship between the monarch and Parliament was a great deal more fraught. Before Charles arrived at Parliament, royal bodyguards searched its cellars for explosives — a reference to Guy Fawkes’s 1605 “gunpowder plot” — an unsuccessful attempt by English Catholics to blow up the Protestant King James I and Parliament.
The best known part of the ceremony was probably when Black Rod, a senior official in the House of Lords, knocked on the door to the House of Commons with her black ebony rod, only to see the door slammed in her face — this was meant to symbolize the House of Commons’s independence from the monarch.
Undeterred by the frosty reception, Black Rod then banged on the door three times with her ceremonial staff — there is a dent from the banging over the years — and the door to the House of Commons chamber was finally opened. Lawmakers then emerged and followed Black Rod to the House of Lords to hear the monarch’s speech.
In another tradition, inspired by the beheading of King Charles I in 1649, a lawmaker was held “hostage” at Buckingham Palace during the ceremony to guarantee the monarch’s safe return.
The costumes were elaborate. Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, spoke enthusiastically about his clothes to the BBC. “I don’t wear tights every day! So today is the day I put my tights, my breeches on, of course the jacket and the golden gown … what I always think is special is the lace.”
Charles and Queen Camilla made the short journey between Buckingham Palace and Westminster in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, a horse-drawn carriage. Some of the regalia — the Cap of Maintenance, the Great Sword of State, and the Imperial State Crown, which is set with with 2,868 diamonds — arrived in their own carriage.
After the speech, lawmakers returned to the House of Commons, where the normal cut-and-thrust of politics resumed. Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer will lead a days-long debate over the legislative program outlined in the speech, ending with a vote.
