With the airspace above London restricted, deep in the dank cellars of the Houses of Parliament the yeoman of the guard, the king’s scarlet-clad bodyguards, were reenacting the 1605 Gunpowder Plot that saw Guy Fawkes’ plans discovered just in time.
On Wednesday Charles traveled from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in a horse-drawn stage coach flanked by a 100-strong guard of honor. This included military bands and the mounted Life Guards, the rain pinging off their steel breastplates and ceremonial swords.
In a separate carriage was the Royal Regalia, transported from the Jewel House at the Tower of London to Westminster.
On the Mall, the wide avenue leading to the palace, a sudden downpour and a bitter wind buffeted a scant line of crowds, huddled under umbrellas against the barriers lining the iconic red roadway.
Most onlookers were tourists not overly concerned with the real-world drama playing out down the street. “I read about Keir Starmer but I don’t know too much about it,” said Tomaso Semola, 65, a vacationer from Venice, Italy, who just watched Charles’ carriage roll by. “We have our own political problems in Italy!” he joked.
Later a lawmaker will be held “hostage” at Buckingham Palace to ensure the monarch’s safe return. It’s a tradition that dates back to the current monarch’s namesake, Charles I, who attempted to storm parliament in 1642 to arrest lawmakers for treason. That sparked a civil war and Charles’ eventual beheading.
This year the role of hostage will be played by Nic Dakin, a former English teacher from the northern town of Scunthorpe.
“Not sure I’m looking forward to it, but glad to play my part!” he posted to X early Wednesday.
When he arrives, the king will be dressed in the Robe of State, complete with velvet cape. The Imperial State Crown — all 3,000 precious stones and 2.87 pounds of it — will then be placed on his head.
His procession into a packed House of Lords will be followed by Charles dispatching a messenger known as “Black Rod” to summon elected lawmakers from the Commons.
He will have the door slammed in his face to cries of “close the door,” another nod to Charles I’s attempted storming of the chamber. Rod will strike the door three times and eventually be let in, before leading the lawmakers to the Lords for the king’s speech.
This will set out the government’s agenda, to be debated by both houses for around five days before they vote on it.
What’s unclear is whether Starmer will still be leading that government when they do.
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