MPs and the Commons Speaker stand at the bar of the Lords Chamber

The State Opening of Parliament is when the sovereign (the Queen) comes to Parliament to formally open a new session of Parliament. She delivers the Queen's Speech from the Throne in the House of Lords Chamber, outlining the Government's policies and legislation for the coming year. This image shows MPs and the Speaker of the House of Commons behind the Bar of the House of Lords (at the opposite end of the Chamber from the Throne), listening to the Queen's Speech.

This image is subject to parliamentary copyright.

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