A Labour MP has spoken about his experience of being ceremonially “held hostage” by The King during the State Opening of Parliament.
Sir Nic Dakin, the MP for Scunthorpe, spent Wednesday morning at Buckingham Palace as part of a centuries-old royal tradition dating back to the reign of Charles I.
The unusual custom sees a government whip kept at the Palace while the monarch travels to Westminster to deliver the King’s Speech, symbolising Parliament’s historic mistrust of the Crown during the turbulent 17th century.
Despite the dramatic name, Sir Nic insisted his detention was far from unpleasant.
“No manacles, no torturing,” he told BBC Radio Humberside.
“I was just abandoned by my colleagues and left in the arms of the palace staff and the Lord Chamberlain, who sits in the House of Lords, to ensure I didn’t go anywhere.”
The bizarre ritual dates back to the aftermath of the English Civil War, when relations between the monarchy and Parliament collapsed during the reign of Charles I.
Following his defeat by parliamentary forces, Charles I was convicted of treason and executed outside Banqueting House in Whitehall in 1649.
Since then, an MP has traditionally been held at Buckingham Palace while the Sovereign attends Parliament.
Sir Nic spent the State Opening watching proceedings unfold on television inside the Palace while enjoying “a cup of tea and small shortbread biscuits”.
He joked that the refreshments offered to royal “hostages” had become less potent over the years.
“A few years back, the drink that followed was rather stronger and one of my predecessors was rather wobbly on their legs as they left,” he said.
The King himself recently referenced the unusual tradition during a speech to the United States Congress.
“These days we look after our guests rather well, to the point that they often do not want to leave,” he joked to laughter from American lawmakers.
The role of parliamentary “hostage” is traditionally carried out by the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, a government whip.
While the custom is now entirely ceremonial, former MP Jim Fitzpatrick previously revealed that palace officials jokingly warned him he would be shot if anything happened to Queen Elizabeth II during her journey to Parliament.
Thankfully, the tradition remains symbolic and forms part of the elaborate pageantry surrounding the State Opening of Parliament, alongside the searching of Westminster’s cellars for gunpowder and Black Rod having the doors of the House of Commons slammed in his face.
Sir Nic said the ceremony demonstrated Britain’s unique ability to preserve centuries-old traditions.
“One of the things we do really well is recognise tradition and all of the pageantry that goes alongside that,” he said. “That was hugely on display yesterday.”
