page_title: Speech from the throne
section_title: Commonwealth realms
hierarchical_section_title: Speech from the throne / Commonwealth realms
caption_attribution_description: English: An illustration from the Wriothesley Garter Book of the Parliament of England assembled at Blackfriars in the year 1523. Painted on vellum as part of an heraldic compendium by Sir Thomas Wriothesley (Garter King of Arms, 1505-1534), it is thought to be the earliest surviving contemporary illustration of the Opening of Parliament. Bishops at the king's right hand: Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Bishop of York, with arms above under a cardinal's hat; William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, with arms above. On benches at left: Bishops, and on bench behind them Mitred Abbots of various Abbeys. On benches at right: Peers of the Realm. The status of peers is indicated by the number of miniver bars (white fur edged with gold oak-leaf lace) on their peerage robes: 4 for a duke, 3½ for a marquess, 3 for an earl, 2½ for a viscount, and 2 for a baron. Thus there are 2 dukes, both wearing ducal coronets, the first holding a Marshal's Baton, thus he is the Duke of Norfolk. Three earls kneel before the king, one holding the Cap of Maintenance, another the Sword of State, the third holding a white rod, appears to be the Lord Great Chamberlain. Standing at right, wearing tabard with royal arms: Garter King of Arms. Judges and law officers sit on 4 woolsacks in the centre, with two scribes kneeling at the back of the furthest one from the throne. The group of people behind the throne at the king's left hand appear to be members of the royal retinue. Members of the House of Commons at bottom, outside the bar of the House of Lords, with Speaker in the middle, dressed in black.
context_page_description: A speech from the throne is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation’s legislature when a session is opened, outlining the government’s agenda and focus for the forthcoming session; or—in some cases—closed. When a session is opened, the address sets forth the government’s priorities with respect to its legislative agenda, for which the cooperation of the legislature is sought. The speech is often accompanied with formal ceremony and is often held annually, although in some places it may occur more or less frequently, whenever a new session of the legislature is opened.
  Historically, when monarchs exercised personal influence and overall decision-making in government, a speech from the throne would outline the policies and objectives of the monarch; as such the speech was usually prepared by the monarch's advisers, but the monarch supervised the drafting of the speech at least to some extent and exercised final discretion as to its content.
caption: King Henry VIII at the opening of the Parliament of England at Bridewell Palace, 1523
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