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The Queen's hostage or Parliamentary hostage is a British tradition that occurs during the State Opening of Parliament. It holds that one Member of Parliament from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom will be taken as a "hostage" and held at Buckingham Palace before the Monarch leaves for the Palace of Westminster and will only be released upon the Monarch's safe return.[1]
History[edit]
The tradition stems from the Restoration of the Monarchy as the Monarch conventionally does not enter the House of Commons.[2] Relations between The Crown and Parliament were still strained following the Parliamentary execution of King Charles I so the Monarch would take a member of the Commons as a hostage as a symbol of good faith to ensure they could arrive to open Parliament and return to the Palace unharmed.[3][4] The principle being that if the Monarch was harmed, then so would a fellow Parliamentarian so it was in their interests to ensure the safety of the Monarch.[3]
Practice[edit]
In modern times, the hostage has been mostly symbolic. The hostage was traditionally the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household or a government whip however any MP can be selected.[5][6] The hostage will be dressed in morning dress and driven to the Palace by a government car where they are received by the Lord Chamberlain.[3] The hostage is not locked up and is free to explore Buckingham Palace though cannot leave and will usually remain with the Lord Chamberlain to watch the State Opening on television.[3] However the principle of protecting the Monarch still holds true. Once Jim Fitzpatrick asked what would happen to him if something happened to Queen Elizabeth II during the State Opening when he was fulfilling the role of the hostage.[7] The answer from the head of the armed forces accompanying him was that he would have been shot.[3][7]
References[edit]
- ^ Ward, Lucy (2002-11-13). "Shade of Charles I presides at parliamentary hostage-taking pantomime". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ https://www.foxnews.com/world/hostage-taking-and-door-slamming-eccentric-centuries-old-customs-at-queens-speech
- ^ a b c d e https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-27697207/mp-recalls-being-queen-s-hostage
- ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/queen-s-speech-six-antiquated-customs-of-the-monarch-s-address-to-parliament-a7034591.html
- ^ https://royalcentral.co.uk/uk/queen/the-queen-takes-conservative-mp-hostage-at-buckingham-palace-84074/
- ^ https://www.thejournal.ie/house-of-commons-traditions-4395539-Dec2018/
- ^ a b https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2016-04-21b.1088.1