State Procession at the State Opening of Parliament

An account of Henry VII opening Parliament on 7 November 1485 includes a description of the processions which preceded it.

By this time the pattern had become established whereby the Peers of the Realm would assemble at the Palace of Westminster (which was the King's principal residence).

(During the Mass, the 'Knights and Burgesses' who had been elected to represent the Commons would gather in the Parliament Chamber for a roll-call, overseen by the Lord Steward who would leave the Abbey early for this purpose.

It shows the Lords Spiritual at the front of the procession, accompanied by Heralds and Gentleman Ushers; the Serjeants-at-Arms follow with their maces, just ahead of Garter King of Arms.

In both 1523 and 1529, the Opening of Parliament took place in Bridewell Palace, following a service in nearby Blackfriars Church.

Under George IV, the Palace of Westminster was remodeled by Sir John Soane to provide space for the carriages, a robing room, and a grand interior processional route to the House of Lords.

[2] Thus in Victoria's reign, the long-established ceremonial of the State Opening was married to its now-familiar architectural setting of Barry and Pugin's grand parliamentary interiors.

Royal Watermen accompany the procession, reminiscent of earlier times when the regalia was conveyed to the palace by river.