State Opening of Parliament

The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His (or Her) Majesty's "gracious speech from the throne" (also known as the King's or Queen's Speech),^[1] which is read by the monarch but written by HM Government. In the speech the monarch gives notice of forthcoming state visits, before setting out the government's legislative programme for the new parliamentary session. No business of either House of Parliament (the House of Lords or the House of Commons) can proceed until the Sovereign’s speech has been delivered.^[2]

The State Opening takes place in the House of Lords chamber within the Palace of Westminster on the first day of the new parliamentary session. This traditionally tends to fall in November, but can occur at any time of year (depending on the timing of General Elections and parliamentary session start dates).^{[Note 1][3]} It takes place in front of a formal gathering of both Houses of Parliament; the monarch customarily wears the Imperial State Crown and a Robe of State, and members of the House of Lords wear their parliament robes (in contrast to the House of Commons, whose members wear day dress).^[1]

State Openings of Parliament are documented from as early as the 14th century, with the first visual depictions dating from the 15th century.^[1] The most recent State Opening was held on 17 July 2024, after the 2024 United Kingdom general election.^[4] It was the second of Charles III's reign, the first of the newly elected Labour government under Sir Keir Starmer, and the first State Opening with a Labour government since 2010.^[5]

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