Tuesday 6 November 2007

The State Opening of Parliament

The above are pictures I took from the television as I watched the ceremony ,sorry about the quality ,but I wanted you to see an example of what I was watching .

The State Opening of Parliament.

The nice part of being retired is that I can watch on TV the wonderful coverage, of these events.

I am sure no one is going to disagree with me when I say no one does this sort of thing better than we do in the British Isles, The colour, pageantry and tradition in these spectacular events ,are some thing we in this country are extremely proud of.

A great deal of preparation is done for this ceremony, some practical obviously and some traditional, for instance before the new session of Parliament ceremony The Yeomen of the guard do a ceremonial sweep of the cellars ,following Guy  Fawkes attempt to blow up Parliament ,some four hundred years ago

Her Majesty the Queen , enters by  the Norman Porch ,the opposite end to the bell tower which houses Big Ben , and through to the robeing room ,where she puts on the ceremonial robes and the crown with which she was crowned ,this crown is very heavy ,due to amongst other valuable stones are three thousand diamonds ,it is said the Queen wears the crown at home the day before a state occasion, when she is to wear it ,to get used to the weight, it is normally kept in the tower of London .

The Queen delivers her, speech, (which is written by the prime minister and the government, out lining forth coming proposals) from the throne, which has been used for the last one hundred and sixty years, and seated beside her is her husband and consort Phillip Duke of Edinburgh.

Another part of the ceremony, is when Black Rod knocks on the door three times with his rod to gain entry and to announce to the members that the Queen requests their presence, once all her ministers are assembled, the Queen then delivers the speech .......This is the fifty sixth time her Majesty has opened parliament ,she has only missed two during her reign,in 1959 and in 1963,when she was having her children ,and she has seen eleven Prime Ministers in office during that time .

I hope you enjoy a little bit of our  tradition ,and to see how I spent my morning ,

Lots of love Jan xxx

 

 

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

TY for sharing, things I might not otherwise get to see. {{}}
Sugar

Anonymous said...

I think you did very well with the pics Jan.I seem to get ALL  flashback when I take pics from the TV.Well Done.I hope you enjoyed your morning watching in.Yes I am one of the very proud ones Jan.Thankyou for sharing.I don't watch very little TV and had no idea it was on,or I probably would have watched this.In my dreams maybe.LOL!! Take Care God Bless Kath
astoriasand http://journals.aol.co.uk/astoriasand/MYSIMPLERHYMES

Anonymous said...

nothing like it anywhere else on earth..thanks for sharing...
Lyn

Anonymous said...

I always feel sorry for the Queen, all that fuss and having to read a speech written by someone else.  I bet she would rather be at home watching Judge Judy!  You did very well with the pictures Jan.

Anonymous said...

Excellent Jan; I was watching but had to come to work (I have accessed journals through my work pc!!!). Too true, Britain does have the best Pagaentry in the entire world, but then I am biased!!

Anonymous said...

Brings back great memories for me I used to Work in the Red Lion about 10 mins away and used to watch this every year , the pomp and pagentry are really second to none and the tourists loved it.

Thanks for sharing

Love Yasmin

xx

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you shared this with us. I'm so fascinated by your Royalty. Your country does know how to do it up right! I wish I could have watched it.
Pam

Anonymous said...

Excellent - go to the top of the History class :o)
Luv Jayne x

Anonymous said...

Hi Jan you did a good job taking those pics off the TV.  I missed it, I'm afraid, so thanks for the entry.
I wonder if you are watchjing Flog It?  They are showing lots of lovely Monet paintings.

ttfn
Freda
http://journals.aol.co.uk/frdbrow7/now-im-retired.......--d/

Anonymous said...

I was out all day Jan so missed this ceremony.  We do it so well don't we?
Spectacular pomp and circumstances.  I so admire the queen and all that she does.  I doubt if it will ever be the same after her days.
Hugs
Jeanie xxxx

Anonymous said...

That was so interesting, Jan!  I didn't know you guys had ceremonies like that!  Thanks for the bit of info and history lesson!  The pictures helped to tell the story even better!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Hugs
Jackie
http://journals.aol.com/siennastarr/Hopefloats/

Anonymous said...

We take it all for granted, don't we?

Anonymous said...

All these things that we Brits do best in all the world (I think we do anyway) - state opening of parliament, trooping the colour, remembrance at the cenotaph, festival of remembrance at the Albert Hall - even the last night of the proms and the Edinburgh Tattoo - I watch them all every single year and they never ever lose their sparkle.  I didn't hear anyone this morning mention that a 'hostage' is held at Buckingham Palace to guarantee the monarch's safe return from that Den of Iniquity!!!!!!!!  Great entry!
love, Angie, xxxxx

Anonymous said...

Very fascinating!  I don't think they do anything close to that when Congress opens it's sessions.  I've seen the UK's government sessions on the BBC here in the US and I love they way they laugh & scoff at each other.  Much more civilized for sure than the fist fights and brawls in Japan.  Thanks for sharing, I can still remember watching her Coronation on black & white TV when I was young.  Linda in Washington state

Anonymous said...

Looks like it was a beautiful ceremony.  You're right.  No one does that sort thing better than you guys do.
Missie

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this. I can understand why the Queen has to wear the Crown the day before. Helen

Anonymous said...

I love all the tradition and pomp and circumstance.  I do admire Queen Elizabeth.  Thanks for sharing.  'On Ya' - ma

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of Liz sitting at home with the crown on. Feet up, slippers on, a nice cuppa on the coffee table watching Eastenders on the telly. ;O)
Great entry Jan.
B. x

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jan. I am sure our US friends will appreciate all you have written today.  We sure are great at doing "tradition"   Hope you enjoyed your day. Much Love Sybil xx

Anonymous said...

I'm wondering if the Queen wears her crown with her hair curlers in lol? Tkae care.
Love Sylvia x
http://journals.aol.co.uk/sylviam4000/YeOldeEnglishPosy/

Anonymous said...

Afraid I sneaked a bit of a break too.  Compulsive stuff.  I especially liked the crown going off back to the Tower in its own modest carriage!
Bunny xx

Anonymous said...

Am sure our friends over the pond will love you pictures you did a great job from the telly its not easy. Glad you enjoyed all the ceremonial. Love Joan.

Anonymous said...

We certainly do these things well don't we?! I saw the crown at the Tower Of London. The cap that goes with the sceptre looks like Father Christmas's hat! Lol! That crown must be really heavy! Jeannette xx  

Anonymous said...

I love the opening of the parliament.  There is nothing the British do better than Pomp and Ceremony!  We are the best at it and I love watching it in action!  I think your pictures are great!
Marie
http://journals.aol.co.uk/mariealicejoan/MariesMuses/

Anonymous said...

It is full of pomp isn't it but an intriguing ceremony! I agree we do it better than most nations but then we still have a monarch and a long history! Good entry as I hope our friends across the pond see your efforts as we need to promote our unique country whenever possible. Always a patriot! Love Conniexx

Anonymous said...

(((((((((((((((HUGSTOYOU)))))))))))))Have a nice day.

Anonymous said...


doesnt the queen look well, bless her royal socks.beckie x

Anonymous said...

This is very interesting.   Thanks for sharing it with us from across the pond.

Anonymous said...

Have a good day Jan and stay out of mischief! lol
bella xx

Anonymous said...

Hi Jan ,this made a good entry ,enjoy your meeting and time with Maurice ...Love you ......Jeanxx

Anonymous said...

Jan I love the Pomp and Circumstance of the State Opening of Parliment and I enjoyed watching it ~ No one does it better ~ Lovely entry ~ Ally x

Anonymous said...

I love watching all the pomp too.I watched all the Royal Weddings and bet you did too Jan.I love London too and all the history of it. Hope you are well. . . . Colleen

Anonymous said...

It will be a very sad day if we ever lose this.
Jenny <><

Anonymous said...

Hi, Jan!   What a great tradition.  Here in the US we don't really have a lot of this and I certainly think we could use more of this....mostly see our national anthem at our sports events.   Thanks for sharing!
Maria

Anonymous said...

Great Entry and Yes we are very proud of our traditions. Long live the Queen.
Debbie
xxx

Anonymous said...

You really do have some of the most beautiful ceremonies I've ever seen.  I think it must be because of the history you have that dates so far back.  The UK seems far more patriotic and loyal to the govt. than many are in the US.  At least these days.  Have a good weekend.  Love xx Chris

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed this entry, I think a lot of people envy our ''pomp'' Linda x x

Anonymous said...

Your Queen is quite a lady.  I'm in awe of her, at 80 years old, to do all the things she does and to do them with such class, dignity and honor.
Hugs, Kathy