State Openings of Parliament: Reduced Ceremonial

This House of Lords Library briefing gives a brief overview of the ceremony for the 2017 State Opening of Parliament and how it differs from previous years.

It has been announced that the State Opening which will take place on 21 June 2017 will be conducted on the following basis:

• No carriages will be used, the Queen and the Regalia of State will travel by car.
• The Queen will wear day dress and a hat, whilst Officers of State will carry the Imperial State Crown, Sword of State and Cap of Maintenance.
• The Royal Procession will take place on a reduced scale.

This briefing gives an outline of the traditional State Opening Ceremony, followed by a description of the State Openings of 1939 and March 1974, setting out how the ceremonies in these years differed from the norm.