The Queen’s role is to be impartial and, so tight is the cordon of discretion surrounding her, very little actually seeps out about her personal political views. There is just a tiny possibility, however, that at yesterday’s state opening of parliament the Queen was having some fun and sending us a signal.
With the calling of the snap general election there was no time this year to rehearse the state opening of parliament, the time-honoured piece of British pageantry that can either give us a reassuring sense of continuity or appear hilariously over the top, depending upon how you view the institution of monarchy.
It was announced that for the first time since 1974 the state opening was going to have “reduced ceremonial elements”. Maybe I should translate here for non-British readers … This would involve the Queen travelling from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a car (well a Bentley in fact) rather than the usual coach and horses and wearing a dress and hat rather than her usual robes and crown. Not exactly informal, but certainly lower key!
Please don’t imagine though that the plan was for the crown to be left out of things. Looking a trifle self-conscious it followed along behind the Queen’s car, sitting by itself on the back seat of its own Rolls. No doubt nice to have a little outing …
The really intriguing thing though about the Queen’s attire, with its “reduced ceremonial elements”, was her hat. A magnificent bluish purple confection, it crowned, so to speak, a matching purple day coat and dress. The front of this hat was adorned with a number of small yellow flowers, giving Her Majesty’s headgear an appearance that could only be compared to the European Union flag.
What, we may wonder, was the Queen up to? Known for her sense of fun, the Queen is also rumoured to be a Brexiteer. But no one is quite sure about this… You could equally be forgiven for imagining that with her family’s many connections to continental Europe she might also be a Remainer. Either way, the Queen’s sartorial choice was deliciously ambiguous. As she read her government’s legislative programme for the two-year period covering the United Kingdom’s negotiations to cut itself adrift from Europe, was the Queen saying goodbye to Europe, or was she possibly cocking a snook at Teresa May, her hapless Prime Minister? We shall probably never know the answer. We only know that some symbols have an enduring power.
The author, James Mayor, is the founder of Grape Discoveries, a wine and culture boutique travel company
See the 'Grape Discoveries' website
