In the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an event that marks the commencement of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and that includes a Speech from the Throne. In many other countries, a similar speech from the throne is given by their head of state to their national legislature at or near the opening of a new legislative session.
The State Opening was up to 2011 held in the House of Lords Chamber, usually in November or December or, in a general election year, when the new Parliament first assembled. In 1974, when two general elections were held, there were two State Openings.
However, from 2012 onwards the ceremony will take place in May. This is owing to the introduction in 2011 of fixed term parliaments of five years in length, with parliamentary elections being subsequently held in the May of every year divisible by five, with the next such election being scheduled for 2015. The 2012 ceremony took place on 9 May 2012.
The current Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II, has opened every session of the Westminster Parliament since her accession except in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, respectively. These two sessions were opened by Lords Commissioners, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Geoffrey Fisher in 1959, and Michael Ramsey in 1963), empowered by Her Majesty. The Lord Chancellor (The Viscount Kilmuir in 1959, The Lord Dilhorne in 1963) read the Queen's Speech on those occasions.
Read more about State Opening Of Parliament: Preparation, Arrival of The Sovereign and Assembly of Parliament, Delivery of The Speech, Debate On The Speech, Significance, Origins, Equivalents in Other Countries
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“A State, in idea, is the opposite of a Church. A State regards classes, and not individuals; and it estimates classes, not by internal merit, but external accidents, as property, birth, etc. But a church does the reverse of this, and disregards all external accidents, and looks at men as individual persons, allowing no gradations of ranks, but such as greater or less wisdom, learning, and holiness ought to confer. A Church is, therefore, in idea, the only pure democracy.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)
“The current of our thoughts made as sudden bends as the river, which was continually opening new prospects to the east or south, but we are aware that rivers flow most rapidly and shallowest at these points.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“At the ramparts on the cliff near the old Parliament House I counted twenty-four thirty-two-pounders in a row, pointed over the harbor, with their balls piled pyramid-wise between them,—there are said to be in all about one hundred and eighty guns mounted at Quebec,—all which were faithfully kept dusted by officials, in accordance with the motto, “In time of peace prepare for war”; but I saw no preparations for peace: she was plainly an uninvited guest.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)