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Hostage-taking, a gold stick and Black Rod. What to look out for in the Queen's Speech
CNNEven by British standards, the pomp and pageantry of the State Opening of Parliament is off the scale.
The event -- which marks the monarch's symbolic association with the British legislature -- includes a grand carriage procession, a particularly heavy crown, and a part where the sovereign must read out a speech that the government writes on her behalf.
The latest version of the jamboree, which takes place on Monday, has an overlay of political controversy -- there hasn't been one for nearly two years, and this year it was preceded by a suspension of parliament so long that it was deemed illegal.
Fortunately, that drama was all sorted out and Queen Elizabeth II will enter the Sovereign Gate on Monday in a perfectly constitutional manner.
The event -- which marks the monarch's symbolic association with the British legislature -- includes a grand carriage procession, a particularly heavy crown, and a part where the sovereign must read out a speech that the government writes on her behalf.
The latest version of the jamboree, which takes place on Monday, has an overlay of political controversy -- there hasn't been one for nearly two years, and this year it was preceded by a suspension of parliament so long that it was deemed illegal.
Fortunately, that drama was all sorted out and Queen Elizabeth II will enter the Sovereign Gate on Monday in a perfectly constitutional manner.
