A GREAT PAGEANT

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 21050, 29 December 1933, Page 3

A GREAT PAGEANT

KING AND QUEEN IN THE LORDS M.P'S RUDE INTERRUPTION (rr.ol£ OUR OWN cojieespoxdekt.) LONDON, November 24. That wonderful and dignified ceremony, the State opening of Parliament, was the chief function of picturesque interest this week. It is an unfailing delight each year. Comparatively few have the good fortune to be in the House of Lords, but the occasion brings the crowds which assemble all along the route from Buckingham Palace to the Victoria Tower, and which are provided with something to see the whole time. The Guards wear their top coats so there is not the brilliance of uniform, but a military spectacle always occasions a thrill, and there is the cheery music of many bands.

The procession, as it moves through the Palace gateway, skirts the Queen Victoria Memorial and enters the Mall, presenting an imposing spectacle, with the gilded State coach as the dominant feature. The coach is drawn by eight bays ridden by postillions and led by grooms. Preceding the coach comes part of the Sovereign's escort of Royal Horse Guards, wearing their blue cloaks and gleaming helmets with red plumes. Yeomen of the Guard accompany the coach on foot, and are followed by the remainder of the escort of Royal Horse Guards. Then come five semi-State landaus in which are members of their Majesties' household. The Prince of Wales makes his separate progress, attended by an escort of the Royal Horse Guards. In the Lords. Inside the House the uniforms dazzle, for there is a wealth of scarlet and gold, and there are the effective uniforms of the ambassadors from all countries, to say nothing of the magnificent scarlet robes of the peers, with trimmings of miniver, the number of bands depending upon the rank of the wearer. An entrancing hour passes all too quickly while the Lords and their ladies are assembling, the latter resplendent with tiaras which flash under the lights, and wearing beautiful evening dresses beneath wraps of ermine or rich dark furs. These wraps are later removed, and the beauty of the dresses is fully revealed. , „ „„ The Royal Gallery gradually fills with distinguished people, the ladies in lovely gowns and furs, with flashing jewels. They look down upolt an animated scene, for in friendly way the Lords are moving about meeting friends, and the ladies chat with their neighbours. Before the arrival of Royalty every seat is occupied, and as the hour approaches there is a feeling of great expectancy. The first to arrive on Tuesday was the Duke of Gloucester. Next came the Prince of Wales, who bowed to the assembly and to the vacant Thrones before taking his place on the dais. Then all the lights go out, except those over the Thrones. This is the signal that the King ana Queen are on the way. As their Majesties and their wonderfully brilliant officers of State approach, the lights gradually return, and the s.ately progress to the dais is made. The King is lightly holding the hand of tne Queen, and together they proceed to their allotted seats, followed by the Mistress of the Robes, who carries the Queen's train, assisted by pages of honour and the ladies-in-waiting. Beautiful women and splendid jewels are in the chamber, but when the Queen arrives they seem to pale into comparative insignificance. Her Majesty is always a magnificent figure. Her gown was of gold and white lame with a raised design of wheat ears, heraldic symbols, and roses. On the bodice, heavily powdered with diamente, were splendid diamond corsage ornaments. Her long diamond chains formed six necklaces of graduated length. Her crown, of diamonds, was tipped with alternate fleurs de lys and crosses patee, and her robe was of miniver, ermine, and ruby velvet. Surrounding the Throne were the handsome men whose titles are as spectacular as the uniforms they wear. They include the Bluemantle Pursuivant, the Norrey King-of-Arms, the Rouge Dragon Pursuivant, the Portcullis Pursuivant. Lord Hailsham, bearing uplifted the Sword of State, moved to the left of the Throne; Lord Londonderry, with the Cap of Maintenance, stood to the right. The King looked exceedingly well, and in a strong voice he said: "My Lords, pray be sea'ed." There was silence while the Commons were being summoned to the Bar. Then the King, with great clarity and with emphasis, read his speech, having reference to the development of cotton and coal, of unemployment insurance, of slum clearance, of betting and gambling, of the hours of employment of "young persons," and concluding with the prayer thot the blessing of Almighty God might rest upon the deliberations of the House. M.IVs Bad Manners. Then the King and Queen rose. All was over far too soon. The King took the hand of the Queen preparatory to departure, when a voice shouted out in the distance, "What about the means test and the unemployment cuts, Sir?" No one took any notice, though the King and Queen looked in the direction whence the querry came. No one knows whether they heard what was said. With great dignity of movement j they left the dais, with the officers of! State in advance and in the rear, and just as they were passing out of sight the same interrupter displayed further lack of manners by muttering something at greater length which was practically inaudible to any not immediately near him. But still no one took any notice. So if he had planned to make a commotion he must have felt greatly disappointed. The man was Mr J. McGovern, I.L.P. member for Shettleston, Glasgow. Afterwards he told a reporter what he had said, and added: "I could not stand it. I had to do it. I express no regrets; I was filled with indignation at the whole thing." Lady Astor said: "I was standing alongside Mr McGoveri, and saw that he appeared to be considerably perturbed. When he burst out I tried to restrain him." The Prince of Wales was still present while the interrupter was making his protest about "a gang of lazy, idle parasites, living on the wealth that other people create," but it is doubtful if he could hear. Outside, the crowds still waited patiently for ..ie return procession, which moved to the accompaniment of cheering, and the National Anthem played by the band. Purple With the Scarlet. A noted exception to the scarlet of the Peers was the arrival of one in a deep purple. It is interesting to read, in the "Daily Telegraph":— "Among the robes worn by Peers weie many old vestments which are treasured as heirlooms and which have been passed down through a long succession of generations. Those worn by the Earl of Denbigh are probably the most ancient of them all, having been first worn by an ancestor of the present Earl during the reign of James I. They are also remarkable for their colour, wtych is purple. The cloth is of superfine quality, with ermine and gold lace, as in the case of other Peers, but dis-

tinctively trimmed to indicate the rank of the wearer. The only other purple robes are believed to be those worn by the Earl of Radnor, which are probably just as old. The Earl of Rosslyn's robes are also of great age. They have been handed down in the family for nearly 140 years, and were made for the first Lord Loughborough. "These and scores of other historic robes which were worn are stored with experts, and used only when their owners sit in the House of Lords or form procession before the King on great state occasions. From time to time they are retrimmed, but the foundation cloth is the same that wae woven centuries ago."