The King and Queen attended the ceremonial opening of the Seventh Senedd in Cardiff Bay today, the first royal opening of the Welsh parliament since His Majesty's accession to the throne.
The royal couple were received by guard formations from the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh, and 157 (Welsh) Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, with a Royal Navy Guard of Honour rendering a royal salute on arrival in the Bay. Cultural performances preceded the formal ceremony, after which the King and Queen met members of the Welsh Youth Parliament, Senedd commissioners, elected Members and representatives of community and youth organisations from across Wales.
A first address as sovereign
In his address to the chamber, the King spoke of the importance of parliamentary democracy, the Senedd's role in giving voice to the people of Wales, and the shared future of the United Kingdom. It was his first speech to the Welsh parliament as sovereign, continuing a pattern of early engagement with the devolved institutions that included opening the seventh session of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in June.
The ceremony brought the King full circle. The previous royal opening, in October 2021, was performed by Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied that day by the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. He returned today at the head of the same ritual of mace, music and parliamentary theatre, with Queen Camilla beside him.
The Ceremony at a Glance
- The King and Queen opened the Seventh Senedd in Cardiff Bay on Thursday 15 October.
- A Royal Navy Guard of Honour rendered a royal salute, joined by the Royal Welsh and 157 (Welsh) Regiment RLC.
- It is the King's first address to the Welsh parliament as sovereign.
- The ceremony comes five months after Plaid Cymru formed the Welsh government under First Minister ap Iorwerth.
- Later this month the couple begin an autumn tour of the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth summit.
Quiet constitutional weight
The visit carried a quiet constitutional weight, coming five months after Plaid Cymru formed the Welsh government under the First Minister, ap Iorwerth. The palace is understood to have seen the engagement as an opportunity to underline the Crown's neutrality, and its affection for Wales, at a moment of political change in Cardiff.
A demanding fortnight
The Cardiff ceremony caps a busy week for the royal household. On Wednesday the King received President Zelensky of Ukraine at Buckingham Palace, as London hosted the Ukrainian leader for talks on winter support. Later this month the King and Queen begin an autumn tour taking in the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, where His Majesty will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
For the Senedd, the day offered a page in the history books: the first opening of a new parliamentary term under a new reign, in a chamber that has seen more than its share of change this year.