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Home , Chapel Royal, Remembrance Sunday, The Cenotaph (Hong Kong), Yeomen of the Guard

THE ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST

The Queen’s Year

Autumn

Remembrance Sunday

Diplomatic Reception

State Opening of Parliament

Remembrance Sunday

On Remembrance Sunday the nation, led by The Queen, honours those who have fallen in the service of their country, in both past and current conflicts. The day falls on the Sunday closest to 11 – the day the First World War (1914-18) armistice was signed.

The focal point of Remembrance Sunday is the in , close to the . The Queen and members of the Royal Family stand beside leaders from the main political parties and religious faiths, war veterans, representatives of all the armed forces, as well as a massed band (made up of the bands of the Army, and ).

At the first stroke of 11 o’clock from , a gun of the King’s Troop fires a single round to sound the start of the two-minute silence. The silence is broken by a second round of gunfire and The Queen lays a wreath of poppies, symbolic of the fields of Flanders, at the foot of . She is followed by The Duke of and the , as well as other members of the Royal Family. The Queen’s wreath is made every year by the Poppy Factory and is decorated with The Queen’s own ribbon – it bears the inscription In Memory of the Glorious Dead and is signed Elizabeth R .

A short religious service follows, taken by the Bishop of and including the Gentlemen and Children of the . The National is played and The Queen departs before around 1,000 ex-servicemen march past the Cenotaph.

The day before Remembrance Sunday, The Queen attends the Festival of Remembrance, staged annually at the by the Royal British Legion. It is attended by serving members of the armed forces as well as many members of the public. The festival includes a number of musical performances and is intended to celebrate, as well as commemorate, the work of service personnel. Thousands of petals are released from the ceiling of the Royal Albert Hall at the climax of the evening.

The Diplomatic Reception

The Diplomatic Reception is the main diplomatic social event of the year in London and reflects The Queen’s importance in the country’s diplomatic relations. It is the largest reception held at and takes place annually in early November. Over 1,500 people are invited from around 130 countries, including members of the British government, past Prime Ministers, the Archbishops of and York and other public figures.

The Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps presents each High and Ambassador in turn to The Queen.

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The State Opening of Parliament

The State Opening of Parliament is the most colourful and important event of the Parliamentary calendar. Each year The Queen formally opens each new session of Parliament, and no other event better represents Her Majesty’s position as Head of State. It is the only point at which the three different sections of the British Constitution (the House of Commons, the and The Queen) are brought together, known as -in-Parliament. The ceremony usually takes place at the end of November, but can happen at any time of year if Parliament is dissolved and an election called. A ceremony of this kind has taken place since at least the 16th century.

The most important part of the State Opening is The Queen’s speech, outlining the Government’s plans for the coming year. Before The Queen arrives at Parliament Her Majesty’s Ceremonial Body Guard, the , carry out a search of the cellars of the Palace of Westminster in a tradition dating back to the of 1605. Another historic custom is the ‘hostage’ of a Member of Parliament, who is held at Buckingham Palace to guarantee the safe return of the monarch – established when the monarch and Parliament were on less cordial terms.

The Queen travels to Parliament from Buckingham Palace in a State Coach, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh. She is preceded by the Imperial State Crown, which is accompanied by senior members of the Royal Household in a carriage of its own. For her journey to and from the Palace of Westminster, Her Majesty wears the Diamond Diadem, commissioned by George IV in 1820. On arriving at the Palace of Westminster, The Queen retires to the Robing Room to put on the Robe of State and the Imperial State Crown. The robe is 5.5 metres long, and was worn at the Coronation in 1953 and at every State Opening since. The Imperial State Crown was made for The Queen’s father, King George VI, in 1937 and is the most potent symbol of royal authority.

The Queen arrives in the Royal Gallery, announced by a fanfare from the State Trumpeters. The procession is watched over by the Yeomen of the Guard and the Gentlemen at Arms and is preceded by the Heralds. Four Pages of Honour hold The Queen’s robe, two Ladies in Waiting follow behind, and The Queen is accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, who wears the full dress uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet. The Great Sword of State, which dates from 1678, is carried before The Queen by a specially appointed Gentleman Usher. The Cap of Maintenance, made of crimson velvet and trimmed with ermine, is also processed before The Queen as an ancient symbol of rank and honour. Two historic maces are borne by Sergeants at Arms to represent royal authority – these date from the 17th century and evolved from weapons carried by the sovereign’s bodyguard.

The Queen’s speech is delivered from the throne in the House of Lords. Around 250 representatives of the House of Commons are summoned by Black Rod, who acts as The Queen’s Messenger. By tradition, the door is slammed in Black Rod’s face before being reopened and Her Majesty’s summons to the Speaker conveyed. This is a reminder of the right of the Commons to exclude everyone but the Sovereign’s messengers – no monarch has set foot in the Commons since 1642, following the attempt by Charles I to arrest five Members of Parliament.

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