Queen Elizabeth arrives for the State Opening of Parliament through the Sovereign’s Gate. In the Robing Chamber she puts on the Imperial State Crown and her parliamentary robe, readying for this ceremony that takes place once a year in the House of Lords.

By tradition, some 250 representatives of the House of Commons are summoned by Black Rod, acting as The Queen's Messenger, to join her and the Lords in their chamber for her address.  But first the door of the House of Commons is slammed in Black Rod's face, and then reopened to enable Black Rod to convey the Sovereign's summons to the Speaker.

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This tradition is a reminder of the right of the Commons to exclude everyone but the Sovereign's messengers from their chamber. No monarch has set foot in the Commons since Charles I entered the Commons and tried to arrest five Members of Parliament in 1642.

This is the tradition. And your private tour of Parliament will follow much the same path.  Beginning at the Sovereign’s Gate your guide, a member of the Black Rod staff (and retired member of the Queens Guard), will take you through both the chambers of Parliament, educating and entertaining as he mixes stories of history and tradition with anecdotal tales of his more than 30 years in the service of the Queen and in the House of Lords. The tours moves from the House of Lords to the House of Commons, and lastly to the 11^th century Westminster Palace. Truly memorable!