Crown regalia stick out as travel plans come up short
TWO ceremonial maces were transported to the State Opening of Parliament poking out of a car window, after the full pomp and ceremony of the event was stripped back in the hope that the Queen could attend.
Carriages were swapped for cars this year in efforts to aid the Queen’s comfort before she “reluctantly” asked the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge to step in for her at the ceremony.
When carriages were used in previous years, the route was lined by military personnel from the three services, and mounted officers and troopers from the Household Division of the British Army provided an escort for the crown regalia and the Queen’s carriage procession from Buckingham Palace to the House of Lords.
The regalia, which include the Imperial State Crown, the cap of maintenance and the Sword of State, would usually have travelled in a carriage ahead of the monarch, escorted by senior members of the Royal household.
Under redrawn plans for yesterday’s ceremony, mounted divisions of the Household Cavalry formed two rows at Horse Guards Parade, creating a “secure passage” that the royal party’s limousine could travel through on its way to Parliament. The crown regalia were transported by car.
The decision meant the two long ceremonial maces were propped up against the side of the vehicle, emerging from an open window as they were driven through the streets of London.
The Imperial State Crown travelled in its own car and was inspected by the crown jeweller before being handed to the Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain’s household to carry through Parliament. The cap of maintenance, which is crimson velvet trimmed with ermine, and the Sword of State, which was used at the coronation of James II, followed in another vehicle.
The regalia are essential to the State Opening ceremony, representing the Queen’s authority. The Crown was not worn by the Prince of Wales yesterday as he read the speech, but was placed on a table just as it has been when the Queen has delivered the address in recent years.