American Reacts to the State Opening of Parliament | UK

When you've been going for 1000 years or two, you develop some strange ways. As a Brit, it all looks normal to me.

Some answers: 9:05 This is the box for the Diplomatic Corps (the foreign ambassadors). 10:20 The wigs are worn by the High Court judges: the top divisions of the court system, and usually lords themselves. 10:45 This is the Queen Victoria Memorial. 11:00 Buckingham Palace was built in stages; the oldest parts were part of Buckingham House (built by the Duke of Buckingham in the early 1700s); it was acquired by George III and then greatly enlarged in the 19th century by George IV, William IV and Queen Victoria. It was essentially completed by 1860. 12:40 Two different units of horse cavalry are represented...the ones with red cloaks are the Life Guards; the ones with blue cloaks are the Blues and Royals (themselves amalgamated from the Royal Horse Guards and the Royal Dragoons). Together they form the Household Cavalry, the Queen's mounted guards. They wear full dress uniform, which dates back to the 19th century in style. 13:30 The present ceremony dates to 1902, but elements of it go right back to medieval times, when the monarch attended Parliament in person and said essentially "this is what we're going to do, and I expect you to pay for it." 14:00 Yes, real gold leaf and hand-crafted construction. The carriages are works of art in themselves. 14:50 A thin layer of fine gravel. Less slippery for the horses than pavement. 17:45 The horses pulling the carriages are part of the Royal Mews, the department of the Royal Household responsible for transportation. They are first trained on the grounds of Windsor Castle before finishing going on to Buckingham Palace. The outriders in red are Mounted Grooms, also part of the Royal Household. The Household Cavalry is part of the British Army, and so have their own program for training and keeping horses. Most of the horses are kept at Buckingham Palace, and are used quite often because newly appointed ambassadors are carried to and from the Palace in carriages as well. Others are kept at Windsor Castle, both for training and to pull the carriages to the annual Royal Ascot horse racing meet. 19:00 This is Horse Guards, originally where the Household Cavalry was based (hence the name), but in the late18th century it became the headquarters of the War Office, the UK equivalent of the Pentagon. This whole area is on the site of the Palace of Whitehall (built originally by Henry VIII who'd seized Cardinal Wolsey's London house, and then built into a sprawling palace), which burned down in the late 1600s, and various government ministries were then built on the cleared ground. "Whitehall" is British jargon for the government apparatus in London. 23:30 The architecture of the House of Parliament is Neo-Gothic: designed in the early Victorian era and meant to suggest the days of "Merrie England" rather than of revolutionary Europe. 23:35 The Union flag atop Parliament is lowered, because the Royal Standard is then raised, signifying that the Sovereign is within the precincts of Parliament. It's the equivalent of the President's personal flag. 24:30 Peers who want to get the best seats--the ones closer to the front--may arrive several hours early. The Peers of the House of Lords wear Parliamentary robes, which they wore daily in Parliament until the 19th century, and now only on special occasions like this. The ones in the galleries without robes are invited guests. 25:08 This is the Mace, the symbol of the authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons. The Speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington DC also has a much simpler mace, which is placed upright on the rostrum. 26:03 Blank charges, but still producing smoke when fired. 26:55 Police detailed to guard Parliament. Medals are worn when the Sovereign is present, both by military and civilians. 28:28 The Imperial State Crown. Formerly, the Queen would wear it during this ceremony, but at her age it's probably now too heavy. Even so, it's carried before the Sovereign as the premier symbol of the monarchy. Note that even the lord carrying the crown bows to it as he moves away. (Side note: this is the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Marquess of Cholmondley, whose wife is the subject of nasty rumors connected with a certain high Royal). 29:02 The Queen gives the Royal Assent to all laws passed by Parliament. In theory she could also veto any bill...and with no way for Parliament to override it...but this hasn't been done for more than 300 years, as it would be a direct affront to the elected Parliament and thereby create a revolution. 29:28 This is actually a very important tradition: slamming the door of the House of Commons in front of the Usher of the Black Rod (the Queen's messenger), who has to knock three times to be admitted. This harkens back to when King Charles I entered the Commons to try to arrest five Members who'd displeased him, touching off the English Civil War. At the beginning of a new Parliament, the Commons Speaker has the Sovereign confirm the "undoubted rights and privileges" of the Commons, including freedom of speech in debate, which means that no one, not even the Sovereign nor her servants, can enter the chamber of the House of Commons while the House is sitting except by their permission. 31:00 Members speak to the House from their places, not from a lectern in the "well" like in the Capitol. Therefore, many microphones. And yes, Parliament televises the everyday proceedings of both Houses. 31:31 Invited guests and staff members. 32:20 The Lord High Chancellor (head of the Law Department) delivers the copy of the speech. Before the reign of James I, he would be expected to read the speech as the Sovereign's representative and keeper of the Great Seal (theoretically kept in that big purse), but later monarchs apparently thought it was more effective if they read the speech themselves. 35:25 "The Government", and "My Government" means the Prime Minister and Cabinet, intending to introduce bills for passage in Parliament. The Speech itself is written entirely by the Government, outlining its agenda for the current Parliamentary session. Although constitutionally similar to the U.S. State of the Union address, the Queen's Most Gracious Speech from the Throne (its formal title) is in contrast very brief and matter-of-fact, with very little editorializing, and of course no cheers or protests from the assemblage. During the Speech the Queen always pointed says, "Members of the House of Commons: Estimates for the public services will be laid before you", meaning that the Commons alone has the power to initiate financial supply/fiscal legislation. 36:00 Parliament consists of an elected lower house--the House of Commons--which has all of the real power in government, and an appointed upper house--the House of Lords--which mostly functions as a body to review and try to amend Commons proposals. The Prime Minister and Cabinet collectively (all members of which are members of one House or other of Parliament, almost all from the Commons, and all members of the party that has effective control of the Commons so as to pass laws) is the head of the executive branch of the UK government, and "advises" the Sovereign on the use of her powers. If the Queen did not follow that advice, the Government (big "G") would resign, presumably no party could muster enough votes in the Commons to form a new Government, and eventually either new elections would have to be called or money would run out and thereby crash the government (small "g") and likely the whole nation as well. 44:50 The Prime Minister is the Head of Government, while the Sovereign (the Queen) is the Head of State in the UK. In the U.S., the office of President combines both functions of Head of State and Head of Government. The "Westminster" system is also used in Canada, Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand, and many other countries that evolved from the UK system, with a ceremonial Governor-General or President as Head of State, and a Prime Minister as Head of Government.

They missed the part where the door is slammed symbolically in the face of Black Rod, the lady who summoned the Commons, signifying the independence of the Commons. This goes back to the English Civil War which was fought between Crown and Parliament and following that the so-called Glorious Revolution

The older I get the more I like the stability and history represented by this elaborate drama. Long Live Her Majesty

Whenever the Queen enters an important building her own flag is risen its called the Royal standard.

The best analogy for the PM's position in the UK would be he is the CEO but the Queen is the owner. She does not run and manage things he handles those duties but she still owns the country.

fun fact: similar to the designated survivor, the night before the state opening of parliament, one MP is held hostage (gets a nice dinner and a very comfortable bed) in Buckingham palace and he is only returned when the queen returns to Buckingham Palace after giving her speech. This is because there is a historical supposed mistrust between the crown and the parliament and the palace need's to make sure the queen is safely returned.

It’s so beautiful the way your objective is to gain knowledge by having a friendly chat. You have no divisive political axe to grind. Your channel is a joy. I’m glad I’ve found it. 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇬🇧

If you can find a video of it before 2016. The Queen still wore the Crown of State up until then but because it weighs over 2.5 kilos she is no longer strong enough to carry the weight on her head.

The guys with the robes are members of the house of lords, the scruffy gits in the suits are members of the commons. 😂

Thanks for this. Here are some answers to your questions: The island in front of the Palace is the Queen Victoria Memorial (known colloquially as the birthday or wedding cake). The rifles presented by the street-liners are the ones they use in combat, and are not ceremonial. The bells you can hear are being rung at Westminster Abbey. Bearskin caps are not at all heavy, being basketwork covered in bearskin (from Canadian bears). The lady in the coach with the Queen is Prince Charles's wife, Camilla. The union flag was lowered to make way for the Royal Standard, indicating the monarch is in residence. The big gold thing is the Mace, which indicates the Queens power in the chamber. The guns fire blanks. The crown is the Imperial State Crown; she used to wear it for the whole show, but it's quite heavy, so it's present on a cushion instead. Surprisingly, we have air conditioning in the UK; we have electricity too and even the Internet. Very large buildings such as the House of Lords (Peers) do not need a.c because they're cold enough already. The highest legislative body in the UK is the Queen in Parliament. As she's only there one day a year, all laws are taken to her to be signed. It would be unconstitutional for the monarch to refuse to sign. She may advise (very strongly) that proposed laws are amended before she signs them. If any government forced the issue, then the public would know and want to know why as Her Majesty's judgment is highly respected (far more than the government's!). The Queen's government is the party that won the general election. The government writes the Queen's speech. The Lords have red benches and the Commons have green. The Monarch is not allowed into the House of Commons because the last time the Sovereign told the Commons what to do, the people got a bit upset and chopped his head off. So they stay away now.

The flag that is flying is the Queen's standard, the Houses of Parliament are a royal palace (technically) so, when the queen is there, the Royal standard must be flown.

The last time someone stepped out of the crowd and pointed a gun at the Queen what he saw was a ton of horse and guardsman charging at him, sword drawn.

"What is the Queen's relationship with Parliament?" Well, let's just say that the Lord Chamblerain taking an MP hostage as surety for the monarch's safe return from Parliament is tradition more than necessity these days.

I just love the fact that my head of state is always surrounded by shouting music gunfire and horses. We'll miss Her most Brittanic Majesty when she's gone....I hope that's a long way off but inevitably that awful day will come 😢

Thank you for taking an interest in our traditions and customs. The more we can understand each others customs and traditions the better we are able to understand each other

The queen has so many powers she just chooses to not use them, she speaks with priminister every week

One word to describe this is tradition. It probably does look weird to you but quite normal for us here in The UK

The "guests" are dignitaries from the colonial empire. This goes back longer than America as it is now existed Again, those buildings have existed before America as you know it existed. The horses are military and are used every day

She does have power, she still has to approve/authorise laws. She is the only person that can appoint/fire a Prime Minister. The Queen, in fact does have a lot of power. Available online for you to read.