# The Queen's Speech **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699 "2019-04-17T23:01:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/21 "2019-04-21T13:08:20Z")
Good point - I’m still uncertain on how the new system works, but I think the Speech still carries that weight. But, certainly open to correction. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/22 "2019-04-21T16:09:13Z")
It would be interesting if the standard motion on the speech were to be voted down, and an immediately following motion with the the wording required by the FTPA (if it were ruled necessary) were then also voted down. In such circumstances, any PM ought to have the nous to say “Stuff this for a game of soldiers”, but the situation could still gum up the works completely. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/23 "2019-04-21T17:52:18Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Rather, the Rules of the House of Commons provide that at the opening of a new session of Parliament, the Queen will present her speech. Although it’s called the Queen’s Speech, it is prepared by the Government of the day (i.e. The Prime Minister and Cabinet). It sets out the general policy plans of the Government for the upcoming session. > > . . . > So maybe she doesn’t put the Withdrawal Agreement in the Speech? That too is likely to pose problems, because that is the most significant issue facing the Government and the Commons. If the Speech is silent on Brexit, she’ll likely be defeated, because that would be seen as an admission that she has no plan for Brexit. The true Brexiteers would likely have to vote against it, and again the Government falls. > > . . . she still has to have the Speech. As always informative, but can the Queen decline to agree with the contents of her Government-written speech? ETA: or even decline to read it? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/24 "2019-04-21T18:12:35Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > As always informative, but can the Queen decline to agree with the contents of her Government-written speech? > > ETA: or even decline to read it? She’s perfectly free to do either of those things, but not if she wants to remain Queen. Or potentially for the UK to remain a monarchy. The snap election of 2017 led to a scaled-down Queen’s speech - no carriages, relatively informal dress etc. This led to what many consider an _interesting_ fashion choice by Her Maj… > **[Queen's Speech: Is the Queen wearing an EU hat?](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-40356113)** > > Social media users question whether or not the Queen's choice of hat was a deliberate nod to the EU ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/25 "2019-04-21T18:33:50Z")
Agree with **Wolfpup**. The views in the Speech are that of the Government, not Her Majesty’s. It is not appropriate for her to try to interject her own political views (if any). She acts on the advice from her ministers. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/26 "2019-04-21T19:29:07Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Agree with **Wolfpup**. The views in the Speech are that of the Government, not Her Majesty’s. It is not appropriate for her to try to interject her own political views (if any). She acts on the advice from her ministers. I am not disputing your helpful answer but am just curious - is there a law or constitutional requirement that demands she acts on the advice of her ministers? If not, then presumably she is compelled to abdicate? By what (formal) mechanism? ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/27 "2019-04-21T21:58:35Z")
If the Prime Minister’s advice, formally tendered, were to be rejected then his government would have to resign, as he lacks the confidence of his Sovereign. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/28 "2019-04-22T01:12:39Z")
The last time that happened was with William IV and Earl Grey. William refused to take Grey’s advice and dismissed Grey. However, Grey had a solid majority in the Commons and William’s choice for PM, the Duke of Wellington, reported back to the King that he could not form a government and advised him to send for Grey. That established the principle that the monarch has to take the advice of the person who controls a majority of the Commons. It’s impossible for the Crown to have a gouvernement that does not have the confidence of the Commons. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/29 "2019-04-22T01:14:56Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > If the Prime Minister’s advice, formally tendered, were to be rejected then his government would have to resign, as he lacks the confidence of his Sovereign. Has the Prime Minister become a man? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/30 "2019-04-22T01:17:21Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > It would be interesting if the standard motion on the speech were to be voted down, and an immediately following motion with the the wording required by the FTPA (if it were ruled necessary) were then also voted down. > > In such circumstances, any PM ought to have the nous to say “Stuff this for a game of soldiers”, but the situation could still gum up the works completely. Which is just another example of (a) the folly of the fixed term Act, changing the well-established rules of confidence, and (b) the incompetence of PM Cameron, letting such an ill-thought substantive constitutional change go through simply to retain power (hmmm, I’m starting to see a pattern with recent Tory PMs …) ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/31 "2019-04-22T02:00:34Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Has the Prime Minister become a man? 😃 Has the prime minister had a bar mitzvah yet? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/32 "2019-04-22T05:28:37Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > ETA: or even decline to read it? It’s not an essential requirement that she personally read it (she didn’t the two times she was pregnant during her reign). It would be a big problem if it were known that she was shrugging off _because of a disagreement_, but there are plans in place for if she is unable for whatever reason. Someone else just reads it for her; this happens at the [end of every session](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhDAqg0xg-Y&t=14m41s), where there’s also a Queen’s Speech setting out what Parliament did during the session. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/33 "2019-04-22T05:40:59Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > As always informative, but can the Queen decline to agree with the contents of her Government-written speech? > > ETA: or even decline to read it? Whether she agrees or not is neither here nor there, since it’s always couched as a dry list of announcements of what “my ministers” propose to do with the parliamentary session. It’s not a “State of the Union” speech promoting a point of view. [This would be unthinkable](http://www.private-eye.co.uk/covers/cover-75), but of course she could always have diplomatic flu, and someone else could do it, or some other ceremonial could be invented. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/34 "2019-04-22T06:32:30Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > They’ve got a ways to go before they break [the record,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Parliament) though That’s the longest Parliament (although I think the big gap from 1653-9 is cheating a bit, let alone the Rump’s instigation in 1649) but not a comment on the length of sessions… Although I have no idea how the Parliaments of the 17th Century organised their business, they might well have had a single decade long session! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/35 "2019-04-22T10:51:57Z")
Historically, what Brenda has done when she sees her government about to do something spectacularly stupid is to summon a senior civil servant to ‘explain the matter to her’. Government backtracking is usually suspiciously quick. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/36 "2019-04-23T00:08:03Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Has the Prime Minister become a man? 😃 Well, she’s commonly considered at least HUman, which is close enough for legal writings like these. I have my suspicions, though. She just looks too much like a Disney villain to be real. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/37 "2019-04-23T00:32:33Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Historically, what Brenda has done when she sees her government about to do something spectacularly stupid is to summon a senior civil servant to ‘explain the matter to her’. Government backtracking is usually suspiciously quick. Do you have an example of that? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/38 "2019-04-23T05:19:06Z")
My impression (from Peter Hennessey’s[The Hidden Wiring](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3594040-the-hidden-wiring) is that awkward enquiries like that are dealt with from her private secretary to the PM’s private secretary. Going direct to the lower echelons would look like going behind the PM’s back. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/39 "2019-04-23T14:28:50Z")
Note that while Parliament is in session, the Queen and the Prime Minister meet weekly. Those meetings are (mostly) confidential. If the Queen wishes to provide advice to the Prime Minister, that’s when she’ll do it. > **[Audience (meeting) | United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audience_(meeting)#United_Kingdom)** > > In the United Kingdom, audiences with the British monarch are usually listed in the Court Circular, which is published daily by the broadsheet press. The British Prime Minister had a weekly audience with The Monarch usually every Wednesday, during parliamentary time at Buckingham Palace. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699/40 "2019-04-23T14:45:17Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > Do you have an example of that? Gordon Brown wanted to introduce something particularly stupid. I forget what - it was a good few years ago. Brenda summoned Carney or King to explain the matter to her and the policy was pretty much immediately withdrawn. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queens-speech/832699.md?page=3)