Sarah Clarke has been Black Rod since 2017 (Image: Getty)

       Black Rod performs a key role in the State Opening of Parliament and is one of the most senior positions in the House of Lords.

       The full title is Lady, or Gentleman, Usher of the Black Rod, with Sarah Clarke carrying out the role since November 2017 and being the first woman holder of the position in its 650 year history.

       Black Rod's role in the State Opening of Parliament is well known. They are sent to the House of Commons by the House of Lords to summon MPs to attend the King's Speech.

       By tradition, the door to the Commons chamber is slammed in Black Rod's face, symbolising the Commons' independence from the Crown.

       He or she then knocks three times on the door with a black rod to gain entry. The door is then opened and MPs file out of the chamber to the upper chamber, following Black Rod.

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       Black Rod performs her key role at this year's State Opening of Parliament (Image: Getty)

       Black Rod summons MPs to the Lords where the King instructs them on the appointment of a Speaker. The title comes from the ebony staff, which is topped by a gold lion, carried by the holder of the office of Black Rod.

       The State Opening of Parliament is one of the traditional set pieces of the political year, showcasing through carefully choreographed pageantry Britain’s evolution from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy where real power is vested in the elected House of Commons.

       King Charles will officially open the new session of Parliament on Wednesday, donning his ceremonial robes and the crown of state to deliver a speech laying out the legislative program of the UK's first Labour Government for 14 years.

       The ceremony starts in the late morning, when the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment leads a procession from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament.

       Charles travels in a gilded coach. A separate coach carrying the Imperial State Crown, the Cap of Maintenance and Sword of State precedes the monarch.

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       Black Rod knocks on the door of the Commons chamber (Image: Getty)

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       Meanwhile, a lawmaker goes to the palace as a symbolic hostage to ensure the king’s safe return. The tradition dates back to King Charles I’s effort to arrest lawmakers in 1642 as he tried to assert his right to govern without the advice and consent of Parliament. Charles I was ultimately tried for treason and beheaded.

       Ever since then, the monarch has been barred from entering the Commons, which is why the opening ceremony takes place in the Lords, Parliament’s unelected upper chamber.

       The monarch traditionally delivers a speech written by the Government of the day from a golden throne while wearing the Robe of State and the diamond-encrusted Imperial State Crown.

       This will be third speech King Charles has delivered, his second as monarch. In 2022, the late Queen Elizabeth II delegated this critical duty to Charles in what was seen as a sign of the transition from Her Late Majesty to her successor.

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