What You Need To Know About The Queen's Speech

The Queen delivers her speech at the State Opening of Parliament today. Here's what you need to know.

What is the Queen's Speech?

It sets out what the Government will do in the coming parliamentary year and is delivered at the State Opening of Parliament.

Does the Queen write it?

No, ministers do. The Queen just reads it out on behalf of her Government - from a throne in the House of Lords.

How long does it last?

Around 10 minutes. It's long enough for a page boy to faint - as one did in 2014.

Last year it was 8mins 26secs and the average is 9mins 50 secs.

And the pomp and ceremony?

There's plenty of that. The Queen wears the Imperial State Crown and Robe of State.

For the first time in 2014 the monarch travelled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, made of oak from HMS Victory, slivers of Isaac Newton's apple tree, bits of Sir Edmund Hillary's Everest ladders and a bolt from a Spitfire.

How old is the tradition?

There is some evidence of speeches dating back to the 16th century but the event has existed in its current form since 1852.

How many times has the Queen read the speech?

This will be the Monarch's 63rd. She was excused in 1959 and 1963 when she was pregnant. The Lord Chancellor read the speech instead.

:: What happens?

Black Rod, a House of Lords official, summons MPs from the Commons to come and hear the speech in the Lords.

It is tradition that the doors of the Commons are shut in his face - a custom that dates back to the Civil War and symbolises the independence of the Government and the monarchy.

Black Rod knocks three times at the door and then issues the summons to the Speaker. MPs then proceed to the Lords chamber to hear the speech.

No monarch has set foot in the Commons since Charles I in 1642.

:: What is this hostage thing about?

An MP is "held hostage" at Buckingham Palace to guarantee the Queen's safety during her time in Westminster. It dates back to times when the relationship between the monarchy and the Government were not quite so amicable.

This year it is Conservative MP for Keighley Kris Hopkins, who is the Vice Chamberlain of the Queen's Household.