King Charles about to deliver throne speech and open Parliament

billie jean king charles ix and female monarch Camilla exhibit to Parliament

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What to expect when King Charles delivers the throne speech

King Charles and Queen Camilla have just sat down on the thrones inside the Senate chamber. The King will read the throne speech shortly.

As much as the throne speech is first and foremost a speech to Canadians, there is little doubt this particular speech was written knowing it will be watched and parsed beyond our borders.

There’s significant interest in the U.K. In this Canadian visit by Charles and Camilla, according to Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert and lecturer in law at Royal Holloway, University of London.

“Today’s speech from the throne is being covered by all the major media, and will be carried live by the news channels, which is not normally the case,” Prescott told me.

“The interest comes from seeing the King in such a politically charged environment, and from the U.K.’s perspective, seeing how the King will balance his role as King of Canada with his role as King of the U.K.”

Now that the King is in the Senate, eyes will turn to the Usher of the Black Rod.

The Usher is the King's messenger in Parliament and is also responsible for Senate security and other ceremonial and administrative duties. The job originated in England in 1348.

Former RCMP superintendent Greg Peters has served in the role in Canada since 2013. The job title derives from the ebony rod he carries, which is a symbol of royal authority.

Peters will be sent to the House of Commons to summon the MPs. But when he arrives at the House he will find the doors shut — again due to the idea of parliamentary independence and the King being barred from the House.

The Usher will use the base of the rod to knock three times on the doors and ask permission to enter. He will then tell the MPs that the King requests their presence in the Senate for the throne speech. Most MPs will then follow Peters out and begin to make the trek to the Senate building.

Traditionally, it’s a short jaunt down the halls of Centre Block. But due to ongoing renovations the upper chamber has a temporary home at the Senate of Canada building — Ottawa’s former train station, which is just down Wellington Street from the Parliament buildings.

The protocol, pomp and ceremony of Canada’s throne speech

With King Charles III set to open the 45th session of Canada’s Parliament and deliver the throne speech, Eli Glasner explains the protocol along with the history, pomp and ceremony surrounding the event, including why the Usher of the Black Rod is so important.

Hi folks, I’m a senior writer with the politics team in Ottawa. I’m also a bit of a parliamentary history nerd, so I’m here to walk you through a few traditions.

King Charles (or usually the Governor General) will read the throne speech in the Senate, not the House of Commons. Why? Because they aren’t allowed into the House.

The last King who did enter the British Commons chamber lost his head … literally.

This tradition dates back to the 17th century. In 1642, King Charles I entered the British House of Commons with an armed guard seeking to arrest a number of MPs. This incident, in part, led to the English Civil War — a conflict between the Crown and Parliament.

Parliamentary forces ultimately won the war and Charles I was beheaded. The monarchy was restored, but Parliament maintained the power to pass laws — a tradition Canada has inherited.

Barring the monarch and their representatives from entering the House is a symbol of parliamentary supremacy and independence.

The King has arrived at the Senate ahead of the throne speech.

He and Camilla travelled by horse-drawn carriage in a parade through downtown Ottawa. He inspected the guard after receiving a royal salute and a guard of honour from the Royal Canadian Regiment; he is the unit’s commander-in-chief.

The monarch was greeted by a performance from the Ottawa River Singers, a First Nations drum group.

This special throne speech has brought out some of the most notable faces in Canadian politics to the Senate, from former governor generals, prime ministers and premiers.

Former Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau and former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper are no fans of each other’s politics, but given that they are the last two occupants of that office they are seated side-by-side.

Oh, to be able to hear the conversation.

King Charles and Queen Camilla parade to Parliament

King Charles and Queen Camilla travelled in a ceremonial horse-drawn carriage through the Parliamentary precinct in Ottawa Tuesday ahead of the speech from the throne.

Some royal pomp is parading down Wellington Street.

Charles and Camilla are making a short trip to the Senate building in Canada’s state landau, escorted by 24 horses from the RCMP’s musical ride.

The landau has an Australian origin — it was built Down Under for Lord Hopetoun, the governor general there in the 1890s.

A few years later, the landau found its way to Canada.

At the end of his term as Canada’s ninth Governor General, Earl Grey bought the landau from Hopetoun and donated it to this country.

It will be a familiar ride for Charles and Camilla — they last used it when they were here in 2017.

Coronation Girls share 70-year history with the Royal Family

The Coronation Girls got to see King Charles a second time.

“Not only did we have tea with the King in Buckingham Palace in December of 2023, but it was pretty unbelievable that his coming to Ottawa meant that a few of us could meet him again,” Carol Shipley told me.

The Coronation Girls are the focus of a documentary feature film that premiered late last year and followed a dozen Canadian women when they were in England late in 2023. They retraced the steps of a formative trip they made to the United Kingdom as teenagers at the time of Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953

Three of the Coronation Girls were at Rideau Hall yesterday watching Charles and Camilla plant the blue beech tree.

“It was so fitting for King Charles to plant a tree. He was concerned about the environment long before most of us were thinking of it,” Shipley, of Ottawa, said.

“At the palace, he and Yvonne Harris, a Coronation Girl from the Yukon and more recently, Port Coquitlam, B.C., shared their passion and commitment to save the planet.”

Shipley recalled Yvonne telling Charles: “Trees are the lungs of our planet.”

Yvonne died two months ago, Shipley said.

“We are especially grateful to His Majesty for coming to Canada at this important moment in our country's history to support us in our resolve to protect our sovereign nation from threat.”

I'm a senior reporter in the Parliamentary Bureau. The opening of Parliament is an exciting day for individual MPs and ministers too, including some very eager and enthusiastic rookies.

Even if you are an officially elected representative, this is still an exciting ceremonial day to experience live and in person.

Good morning from the Senate of Canada building. I’m J.P. Tasker, a reporter following the royal tour.

There is a large crowd assembled along Ottawa’s Wellington Street awaiting the royal landau, which will ferry Charles and Camilla through the heart of the parliamentary precinct to the Senate — the royal chamber of Parliament.

The landau was last used by Their Majesties (then Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall) during their 2017 royal tour.

The 100-member honour guard from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment has just arrived. They will deliver the royal salute to the King and Queen when they arrive here for the throne speech. Charles will review the troops before heading inside.

The weather is quite warm, and we are under the direct sunlight. They asked reporters in the “media pen” to move back from the honour guard in case one of them, outfitted as they are in the heavy red wool tunic and armed with a sharp bayonet, passes out onto us given the heat.

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