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Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya

Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya (معاوية ولد سيد أحمد الطايع; born 28 November 1941) is a Mauritanian military officer who served as the President of Mauritania from 1984 to 2005. During his presidency, he pursued policies of Arab nationalism while deepening ties with the United States.

Having come to power through a bloodless military coup, he was ousted by a military coup himself in 2005. Prior to his presidency, he was the 5th Prime minister of Mauritania between 1981 and 1992 (except for a brief period in 1984).

Early years
Born in the town of Atar (Adrar Region), Maaouya attended a Franco-Arabic Primary School from 1949 to 1955. He then attended Rosso High School in southern Mauritania.

After graduation, he attended a French military school in 1960 and graduated as an officer the next year. In 1975, he received strategic training at the French War Academy.

In 1978, the Mauritanian Army seized power and ousted long-time President Moktar Ould Daddah, in an attempt to forestall government collapse in the war over Western Sahara against the Polisario Front (1975–79). Maaouya was among the conspirators, and quickly gained influence within the government.

President of Mauritania (1984–2005)
After holding various positions in the military, Maaouya was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army in January 1981, during the rule of military head of state Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla.

In the aftermath of a failed coup against Ould Haidalla in March 1981, Maaouya was appointed Prime Minister on 25 April 1981, replacing civilian Prime minister Sid'Ahmed Ould Bneijara. He held this office until 8 March 1984, when Ould Haidalla, who was still head of state, took over the post.

On 12 December 1984, while Ould Haidalla was out of the country, Maaouya seized power and declared himself Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation (CMSN).

In October 1987, Maaouya's military government allegedly uncovered a tentative coup d'état by a group of black army officers, backed, according to the authorities, by Senegal. Several officers were arrested, interrogated, and possibly tortured, leading to the acquittal of only seven.

Senegal-Mauritania War

The discord between conflicting visions of Mauritanian society as either black or Arab again rose to the surface during the intercommunal violence that broke out in April 1989. This tension grew when the Mauritania-Senegal border dispute escalated into violence between the two nations.

Even before the war, Maaouya and Abdou Diouf, president of Senegal at the time, had been engaged in a dispute after the completion of dams on the Senegal River. Maaouya argued that Senegalese representatives in the OMVS had refused to create river harbors during construction, diminishing Mauritania's ability to exploit phosphate deposits.

Heightened ethnic tensions created an additional catalyst for the Mauritania–Senegal Border War, which started as a result of a conflict in Diawara between Moorish Mauritanian herders and Senegalese farmers over grazing rights. The border between Senegal and Mauritania was then closed, and the two nations ended diplomatic ties with each other.

As the war continued, some Fula and Soninke people were arrested and executed. Maaouya's government initiated a military investigation before implementing a law of amnesty.

In July 1991, presidents Diouf and Maaouya reached an agreement to end hostilities. On 18 July, Senegal and Mauritania signed a peace treaty, ending the Mauritania–Senegal Border War, and on 2 May 1992, the borders reopened to all civilians.

Arab nationalism and foreign policy
the late 1980s, Maaouya had established close co-operation with Iraq, and pursued a strongly Arab nationalist line. Mauritania grew increasingly isolated internationally, and tensions with Western countries grew dramatically after it took a pro-Iraqi position during the 1991 Gulf War, although he had received French support and aid in 1984-1987. Maaouya faced criticism for infringing the rights of black Mauritanians during this time, including forced expatriations.

Transition to democracy and multi-party system
Maaouya's regime began a transition to civilian, multiparty government in 1991; a new Constitution was approved by referendum in July.

The first multiparty presidential elections were held in January 1992. Maaouya, as candidate of the newly formed Democratic and Social Republican Party (PRDS), received nearly 63% of the vote, amid opposition claims of serious irregularities and fraud. He won slightly more than 90% of the vote in the following 12 December 1997 presidential election, which was boycotted by major opposition political parties; anticipating fraud, they said that this would make their participation "futile".

Last years in office
The last years of Maaouya's rule were marred by unrest within the military and hostility between the regime and the country's Islamists. Maaouya moved away from his initial support of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein at the time of the 1991 Gulf War, and moved towards the West.

On 28 October 1999, Mauritania joined Egypt, Palestine, and Jordan as the only members of the Arab League to officially recognize Israel. By doing so, Maaouya formally ended a declared war on Israel that dated from the 1967 Six-Day War.

During his administration, Maaouya also began co-operating with the United States in anti-terrorism activities, a policy that was criticized by some human rights organizations. Increasing ties with Israel and the United States served to deepen the opposition to his rule.

In June 2003, Maaouya's government survived a coup attempt, defeating rebel soldiers after two days of heavy fighting in the capital, Nouakchott; the coup leader, Saleh Ould Hanenna, initially escaped capture. Ould Hanenna announced the formation of a rebel group called "the Knights of Change" but was eventually captured in October 2004 and sentenced to life in prison along with other alleged plotters in early 2005. On 7 November 2003 a presidential election was held, which was won by Maaouya with over 67% of the popular vote. The opposition again denounced the result as fraudulent; the second-place candidate, former ruler Ould Haidalla, was arrested both immediately before and after the election, and was accused of plotting a coup. In August 2004, the government arrested more alleged coup plotters, who it said had planned to overthrow Maaouya when he took a planned trip to France; some, however, doubted the existence of this plot and suspected that it was a pretext for a crackdown. In late September, the government claimed to have thwarted yet another plot to oust Maaouya.

Anticipating an increase in government revenue through the exploitation of natural resources, particularly offshore oil deposits, Maaouya announced an increase in pay for the civil service and pensions in November 2004.

Fall from power
While Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was out of the country for the funeral of Saudi King Fahd in early August 2005, soldiers seized government buildings and the state media. The group, which identified itself as the Military Council for Justice and Democracy (CMJD), announced a coup d'état in a statement run by the state news agency on 3 August: "The armed forces and security forces have unanimously decided to put an end to the totalitarian practices of the deposed regime under which our people have suffered much over the last several years."

The new military dictatorship said it would remain in power for a maximum of two years to allow time for democratic institutions to be implemented. The Military Council for Justice and Democracy named Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, a top associate of Maaouya for many years, as its head. Maaouya, on his way back from Fahd's funeral, landed in Niamey, the capital of Niger. He met Niger's president Mamadou Tandja before going to a villa in Niamey. Speaking to Radio France Internationale on 5 August, Maaouya condemned the coup, saying that there had "never been a more senseless coup in Africa" and that it reminded him of the adage "God save me from my friends, I'll take care of my enemies".

On 8 August, he unsuccessfully attempted to order the Armed forces to restore him to power. Broad support for the coup appeared to exist across the country; Maaouya's own party, PRDS, abandoned him a few days after the coup by endorsing the new regime's transitional plan. International reaction to Maaouya's overthrow was initially strongly hostile, including the suspension of Mauritania from the African Union, but after several days the new rulers were apparently diplomatically successful in winning tacit international acceptance of their transitional regime. The United States in particular at first called for Maaouya to be restored to power but subsequently backed away from this.

After presidency
He left Niger for Banjul, Gambia, on 9 August 2005. After nearly two weeks there, he and his family flew to Qatar, where they arrived on 22 August.

In April 2006, Vall said that Maaouya could return home as a free citizen, but would not be allowed to take part in the elections that were to mark the end of the transition because, Vall said, his participation could disrupt the transitional process; however, Vall said that he would be able to return to politics after the completion of the transition.

In the March 2007 presidential election, Maaouya is said to have favored former Central Bank Governor Zeine Ould Zeidane.

In late 2013, Maaouya was appointed a teacher at the Ahmed Bin Mohammad Military School, a military academy in Qatar.

title: Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya


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The Return of Jafar

The Return of Jafar (sometimes marketed as Aladdin: The Return of Jafar on re-release) is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Television. It is the first sequel to Disney's 1992 animated feature film, Aladdin, made by combining the planned first five episodes of the Aladdin animated television series into a feature-length film.

Released on May 20, 1994, in North America, it was the second Disney animated feature film sequel, after The Rescuers Down Under (1990), and the first Disney direct-to-video animated feature film. It also marked the first American direct-to-video animated feature film. Gilbert Gottfried, Jonathan Freeman, Scott Weinger, Frank Welker, Brad Kane and Linda Larkin reprise their roles from the first film, with Jason Alexander, Val Bettin, Liz Callaway, and Dan Castellaneta joining the cast.

Although the film serves as the pilot of the television series and received mixed-to-negative reviews, it sold 15million VHS tapes, grossing more than US$300 million on a budget of approximately $5 million, making it one of the best-selling films on home video.

Plot
A year after Jafar's defeat, Aladdin and Abu have settled into the Palace of Agrabah with Princess Jasmine and her father, the Sultan. Still yearning for adventures, Aladdin foils a criminal group led by the dimwitted Abis Mal and returns their stolen loot to the citizens of Agrabah. Meanwhile, in the desert, Iago escapes from Jafar's lamp. Tired of being taken for granted, Iago refuses Jafar's demands to free him, and drops the lamp into a well.

Iago flies to Agrabah, planning to return to the Palace by befriending Aladdin. During his first interaction with Aladdin and Abu, the three are attacked by Abis Mal and his henchmen, and Iago inadvertently saves Aladdin's life. In gratitude, Aladdin keeps Iago on the palace grounds, promising to speak with the Sultan on Iago's behalf. Abis Mal later finds Jafar's lamp in the well and frees him. Hindered by his incompetent new master, Jafar tricks Abis Mal into wasting his first two wishes, then enlists his help in taking revenge on Aladdin. Abis Mal agrees, also desiring revenge on Aladdin.

Meanwhile, the Genie returns to the palace after traveling the world for one year, although his powers are diminished since he was freed from the lamp. At the evening banquet, the Sultan announces Aladdin as the new Royal Vizier. Rajah discover Iago in the garden and chases him into the banquet. Aladdin asks the Sultan to pardon Iago, but Jasmine is dismayed that Aladdin never confided in her. The Genie and Iago help them reconcile, but the Sultan, though remaining suspicious, temporarily pardons Iago and instructs Aladdin to watch over him. However, Jafar infiltrates the palace and tricks Iago to take Aladdin and the Sultan on a trip to the waterfall.

During the trip, the Sultan finally forgives Aladdin and Iago, but Jafar, having transformed into a gang of sorcerer horsemen riding dragon-winged horses, ambushes them, sending Aladdin into the waterfall while taking the Sultan, Jasmine, the Genie and Abu as prisoners. Aladdin eventually returns to Agrabah to warn Razoul but Jafar, posing as Jasmine, frames Aladdin for murdering the Sultan, and sentences him to death. Feeling guilty for being tricked, Iago frees the Genie, who saves Aladdin. Jafar now controls Agrabah, but Aladdin is determined to stop him, and the Genie reveals that the only way to kill Jafar is to destroy his lamp. Iago chooses to leave, but not before Aladdin thanks him for his help.

Jafar demands that Abis Mal free him from the lamp with his third wish, just as Aladdin and his friends confront them to obtain the lamp. Jafar, in his Genie form, ambushes the group, knocks the Genie unconscious and shatters the Carpet. He splits open the Palace gardens, creating a pool of lava, and traps Aladdin on a sinking rock. Iago, having a change of heart after realizing that he has been repeatedly tricked by Jafar, returns and grabs the lamp but is burned and critically injured. With his remaining strength, Iago kicks the lamp into the lava, causing Jafar to fade from existence and ending his reign of terror with once and for all. With his death, Jafar's magic is undone, restoring the Palace gardens and the Carpet. Iago is assumed dead, though he regains consciousness and is forgiven, being allowed back into the Palace. Aladdin ultimately rejects the Sultan's offer to become his vizier, having decided he wants to see the world with Jasmine instead.

In a post-credits scene, Abis Mal realizes that, with both Jafar and the lamp destroyed, he doesn't get his third wish.

Voice cast

 * Gilbert Gottfried as Iago
 * Jason Alexander as Abis Mal
 * Jonathan Freeman as Jafar
 * Scott Weinger as Aladdin
 * Brad Kane as Aladdin (singing voice)
 * Linda Larkin as Princess Jasmine
 * Liz Callaway as Princess Jasmine (singing voice)
 * Dan Castellaneta as Genie, Omar, and Thief
 * Frank Welker as Abu, Rajah, Fazal, Egg Vendor, and Thief
 * Val Bettin as the Sultan
 * Jim Cummings as Razoul and Thief

Additional voices are provided by Jeff Bennett and B. J. Ward.

Production
Following the success of The Little Mermaid, Walt Disney Television Animation subsequently produced an animated television series of the same name that aired on CBS. At the same time, The Disney Afternoon had become a success with television series, such as DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers airing in a syndicated two-hour time slot. Before the theatrical release of Aladdin, Disney commissioned Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove to produce a direct-to-television project that would shepherd its transition from the film into a television series.

While conceiving the sequel, Stones became fascinated with the character Iago, stating, "I said, 'I want the parrot in there,' but he was trapped in the lamp [at the end of the Aladdin movie], so we came up with a story of how he got out and ended up with Aladdin." As was common with half-hour animated television series at the time, Disney planned to begin the series with an hourlong television special, but Stones suggested that the film should instead be released on home video. The idea was initially met with some resistance from Disney Feature Animation president Peter Schneider and Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who felt it would cheapen Disney's brand. Ultimately, layout designer Paul Felix conceived the film's opening with the gang of thieves entering a cave, which was later animated at Disney Animation Australia. Impressed with the animation dailies, Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg allowed for the first half to be animated in Australia, while the climax was animated in Japan.

Due to a well publicized bitter fall-out over the use of his voice in the marketing campaign for Aladdin, Robin Williams refused to reprise the role of the Genie, so he was replaced by Dan Castellaneta. Stones also claimed that Williams participated in selecting Castellaneta to voice the Genie. It was also the first Aladdin full-length production without the original voice of the Sultan, Douglas Seale. He was replaced by Val Bettin, who had previously worked with Disney on The Great Mouse Detective, and who would reprise his role in the franchise's animated series and Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

Songs
Songs in the film include:
 * "Arabian Nights" by Brian Hannan
 * "I'm Looking Out for Me" by Gilbert Gottfried
 * "Nothing in the World (Quite Like a Friend)" by Dan Castellaneta, Brad Kane & Liz Callaway
 * "Forget About Love" by Gilbert Gottfried, Brad Kane & Liz Callaway
 * "You're Only Second Rate" by Jonathan Freeman

Release
Instead of the film receiving a theatrical release, Steve Feldstein, director of public relations for Disney's home video division, stated that the decision to release The Return of Jafar on home video was due to time constraints, claiming that "to put the film in the theatrical pipeline would have taken up to five years", but releasing it on home video would take "less than two years". In addition, Feldstein confirmed that financing was also a consideration because producing a direct-to-video feature would be "less costly to make than Aladdin". Likewise, due to an expanding video market, Disney claimed that demand from theatrical and video audiences for Aladdin and other characters was another reason for a speedy follow-up.

Home media
The Return of Jafar was first released on VHS and LaserDisc in the United States and Canada on May 20, 1994, being the first installment of the direct-to-video sequels. In its first two days, it sold more than 1.5 million VHS copies; more than 4.6 million VHS copies were sold in less than a week. In the United States, more than ten million copies were sold, ranking among the top 15 top-selling videos of all time (at the time), earning $150 million in profits. The film eventually sold 15million units, and grossed approximately $300million worldwide. The sequel's success removed what the Los Angeles Times described as "the low-quality stigma" from direct-to-video, and caused Disney, Universal Pictures, and other studios to release more direct-to-video films.

Originally released on VHS that year, The Return of Jafar was reissued on Special Edition DVD and VHS (with "Aladdin:" added to the title) on January 18, 2005, the same day as its direct sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, also received a re-release, with a digitally restored picture and remastered sound. The Special Edition DVD, along with the two other films in the series, were placed on moratorium (placed into the Disney Vault) on January 31, 2008, in the United States, and on February 4, 2008, in the United Kingdom. The Return of Jafar, along with Aladdin and the King of Thieves was released on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Combo Pack on January 5, 2016, as a Disney Movie Club exclusive in North America.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating of 33%, based on 12 reviews collected, with a weighted average score of 4.3/10.

David Nusair of Reelfilm.com summed up most of the negative feelings that contributed to this rating:

"Notable as the first direct-to-video Disney sequel, The Return of Jafar follows Aladdin (Scott Weinger) as he attempts to once again foil Jafar's (Jonathan Freeman) villainous plot to take over Agrabah. And despite the fact that he was freed from his lamp at the end of the first film, the genie (now voiced by Dan Castellaneta) is back and wackier than ever. It's clear right from the outset that Disney put very little effort into the production of The Return of Jafar, particularly in the realm of animation. The film has all the style and fluidity of a Saturday morning cartoon, while various songs are bland and forgettable. The repetitive storyline doesn't do the movie any favors, and even at a running time of 69-minutes, doldrums set in almost immediately. Castellaneta does the best he can with the material, but generally comes up short (particularly when compared with Robin Williams's manic performance from the original). The Return of Jafar is a thoroughly needless sequel that may keep small children engaged, but is bound to come off as nothing less than a huge disappointment for fans of the original."

Despite the mostly negative reception, on the television program Siskel & Ebert, the film received a "two thumbs up" from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Steve Daly graded the sequel a "C−", criticizing it as a "knockoff" that "carries the Disney label and costs about as much as a tape of Aladdin, but it's clear from the first jerky frame that the same time, care, and creativity didn't go into it".

Comic
When Disney was publishing its own comics in the mid-90s, it produced a two-issue Aladdin comic presenting an alternate version of The Return of Jafar. It was titled The Return of Aladdin. The comic is introduced by the Peddler from the first film.

The story starts off showing that Aladdin has been particularly bored of palace life. Meanwhile, Jafar has escaped the Cave of Wonders. Iago is given the task of finding the right master for Jafar to manipulate. Their search seems hopeless, for as some people are able to enjoy all three wishes or mess up. They find someone to use the lamp; she is known as Isabella, a master magician. Isabella is similar in appearance to Jafar (although his clothing is green). His first wish is to return to Agrabah Palace (as he performed entertainment for the Sultan in the first film). His second wish is for an army of soldiers to pursue Aladdin and Jasmine when they catch on to Jafar's presence. He is persuaded to use his third wish to trap Jafar and Iago in the lamp again, sending them back to the cave. Due to persuasion by the Genie, the Sultan hires Isabella for a permanent entertainment job at the Palace. The end of the story shows the Peddler having a black lamp similar to Jafar's, but he claims it to be worthless.

Video game
The plot of the film is loosely used in Agrabah, one of the worlds in Kingdom Hearts II, and the Peddler appears from the first film. As in the film, Iago escapes from Jafar and does his best to respect Aladdin, Jasmine, Sora, Donald and Goofy, although Jafar cons him into aiding him in his revenge, almost damaging Iago's friendship with Aladdin and Sora, but he redeems himself after taking a blow for Aladdin that almost claims his life. The Peddler, at the beginning, comes across Jafar's lamp, but sells it to Aladdin, Sora, Donald and Goofy for a rare artifact in the Cave of Wonders. Despite Aladdin sealing the lamp in the Palace dungeon, the greedy Peddler breaks into the dungeon and frees Jafar, unleashing his fury on Agrabah until he is defeated by Sora and company. The Peddler's fate is left ambiguous. This was the first Disney sequel to have its plot adapted into a level in the Kingdom Hearts series, which was followed by the Grid being an adaptation of Tron: Legacy, and the Caribbean being one of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Furthermore, there is a mild allusion to the Agrabah boss battle in Kingdom Hearts. Sora must fight Jafar in Genie form, surrounded by a lava pit with raising and lowering levels, while Iago flies above with Jafar's lamp. Only striking the lamp has any effect on Jafar's health. This fight also takes place in the second game, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and its PlayStation 2 remake. In both versions of Chain of Memories, the boss fight is due to the majority of the game being illusions created from Sora's memories. A second playable character, Riku, also fights the boss in his mode. The battle is again visited in Kingdom Hearts Coded and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.

Follow-ups
The film was followed by a television series titled Aladdin, which served as the overall third installment, and another direct-to-video sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, which was released in 1996. The franchise was later revisited in "Hercules and the Arabian Night", a crossover episode with the Hercules animated series, and in the segment, More Than a Peacock Princess, from Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: The Return of Jafar


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User:MattSal/Extra Stuff

''Note: this page is still under development, as are the pages it links to. I also ask anyone whom reads them to please not duplicate them or spread them for money, seeing as how I am too young and too cheap to get copyrights. Thank-you.''

These following pages are my stories and fictional tales that I have created with my imaginative mind throughout the past 15 years of my life. If you have the time and patience to read them (some of them are rather lengthy), then feel free to. I hope you enjoy them or find them humorous. Thank you.

 * Sonnets
 * ''Christmas Sonnet (actually two sonnets)

 * Stories
 * The Fox and the Pears
 * Bicentennial Turkey

title: User:MattSal/Extra Stuff


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User:MattSal/Favorites

Welcome to my Favorites Page. These favorites may help explain the complete randomness of my Wikipedia edits and page creates. Do I share any of your interests? Note: they're in alphabetical order.

 * Animal:
 * Dinosaur: Velociraptor
 * Insect: Ant
 * Invertebrate: Octopus
 * Mammal: Bengal Tiger
 * Xenomorph: Alien species from Alien
 * Band: Phish
 * Book
 * Biography: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
 * Children's: The Cat in the Hat
 * Fact Book: World Almanac
 * Science Fiction: Maniac
 * City: Atlanta, Georgia
 * Color: blue
 * Ethnic Group: Albino Afro-Hispanic Homosexual Def-Blind-Mute Quadriplegic Midget
 * Food: Corn dog
 * Games and Sports
 * Ball Sport: American Football; Soccer (tie)
 * Baseball team: Atlanta Braves
 * Board game: Chess
 * Computer game: Half-Life; GTA: Vice City (tie)
 * Football team: Georgia Bulldogs (College); Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Professional)
 * Video Game: Soul Caliber (Dreamcast)
 * Movies
 * Comedy: Office Space; Monty Python and the Holy Grail (tie)
 * Drama: Dazed and Confused
 * Tragedy/Romance: Braveheart
 * Music: Bebop
 * Number: pi to the pith power (ππ)
 * People
 * Actor: Harrison Ford
 * Actress: Julia Roberts
 * Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
 * Astronomer: Galileo Galilei
 * Author: J.K. Rowling
 * Composer: John Williams
 * Director: Steven Spielberg; John Woo (tie)
 * U.S. President: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
 * TV Series:
 * Anime: Cowboy Bebop
 * Comedy: Futurama; Family Guy (tie)
 * News show: Daily Show
 * Talk show: Late Night with Conan O'Brien

title: User:MattSal/Favorites


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Aladdin and the King of Thieves

Aladdin and the King of Thieves (also known as Aladdin 3: The King of Thieves) is a 1996 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is the second sequel to Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin, and it serves as the final chapter and installment of the Arabian Nights-inspired Disney franchise beginning with the first film, and continuing with its first direct-to-video sequel The Return of Jafar and the animated television series.

The film takes place after the third season of the television series and is inspired by the tale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves from One Thousand and One Nights, replacing Ali Baba with Aladdin. For the first time since the original Aladdin, the film has a completely new soundtrack instead of the rearranged music from the original film for The Return of Jafar and the series. This film also marks the return of Robin Williams, reprising his role as Genie (Dan Castellaneta voices him in the second film, the series and other media).

Although this film serves as the series finale of the television series, the characters also appear in a 1999 crossover episode of the animated series Hercules, titled "Hercules and the Arabian Night", as well as the segment More Than a Peacock Princess from the 2007 direct-to-video film Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, both of which occur after this plot. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews, although it was deemed an improvement over The Return of Jafar.

Plot
At Agrabah, Aladdin and Princess Jasmine prepare to be married. During the ceremony, the legendary Forty Thieves appear, trying to steal a magical staff. After driving them off, Aladdin and his friends discover the Oracle, a woman within the staff who can answer a single question about absolutely anything to any individual. She hints to Aladdin that all of his questions can be answered by his father, who is still alive, much to everyone's surprise. According to her, Aladdin's father is with the Forty Thieves, "trapped within their world".

Aladdin, with Abu, Iago and Carpet, tracks the thieves and stows away into their hideout, Mount Sesame, where he discovers that his father Cassim is actually the King of Thieves, their leader. The two have a heartfelt reunion before Cassim's chief subordinate Sa'luk tries to punish Aladdin for infiltrating their hideout. Cassim, however, suggests that Aladdin instead face the initiation ritual known as "the Challenge": if he defeats another one of the Forty Thieves, he can take their place. Aladdin defeats Sa'luk and is welcomed into the band.

Cassim reveals that he left his family in search for the Hand of Midas, an artifact that can transform anything it touches to gold. Cassim believed that, with it, he could return to his family and rescue them from poverty. With the staff, he could question the Oracle for the precise whereabouts of the artifact. Aladdin convinces Cassim to return with him to Agrabah to live an honest life. Initially hesitant, Cassim agrees after realizing that the wedding can be his last chance to get the Oracle.

After spending quality time with Aladdin and his friends, Cassim decides to go forward with his original scheme, with Iago as his new henchman. Meanwhile, Sa'luk travels to Agrabah and sells out his fellow thieves by telling Razoul, the Captain of Agrabah's Royal Guard, the password to their hideout in exchange for immunity from prosecution. After all but seven of the thieves are captured, Razoul learns that Aladdin is one of the forty, and his father Cassim is the King himself. Cassim and Iago try to steal the Oracle but are captured and detained after the Sultan learns of Cassim's relationship with the Forty Thieves. Aladdin rescues Cassim and Iago but returns to the palace to take responsibility for his actions. As the Sultan is about to punish Aladdin, the Genie and Jasmine come to his defense, stating that all he wanted was to give his father a second chance. Understanding this, the Sultan accepts Aladdin's apology and resumes preparations for the wedding.

Returning to Mount Sesame, Cassim and Iago are captured by Sa'luk and the remaining seven thieves (Sa'luk deceived them into believing Cassim had betrayed them to Razoul), who force them to use the Oracle to locate the Hand of Midas. The Oracle directs them to the Vanishing Isle, a marble fortress built on the back of an enormous turtle that periodically dives to the bottom of the ocean, where the Hand is hidden. Iago escapes and goes to lead Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu and Carpet to Cassim.

Aladdin frees and reconciles with his father. Working together, they retrieve the Hand just as the turtle is starting to submerge. However, they are ambushed by Sa'luk, who takes Aladdin hostage, demanding that Cassim surrender the Hand. Cassim throws the Hand to Sa'luk, who grabs it by the wrong end and is transformed into a lifeless gold statue. Realizing that his obsession has brought only trouble and that his son is actually his ultimate treasure, Cassim throws the Hand into the ship with the remaining thieves aboard, turning it into gold and sinking it.

That night, Aladdin and Jasmine are married, with all their friends and family present. Cassim watches this from afar because he is still a wanted man, and Iago decides to join him on his travels. Aladdin and Cassim wave goodbye to each other as the former kisses Jasmine while the latter rides off into the moonlight with Iago.

The peddler who told the story ends the story saying "happy end to the tale and tomorrow's a sale so I better go home and rest" while offering a picture to Aladdin and Jasmine of them on a rug.

Voice cast

 * Scott Weinger as Aladdin
 * Brad Kane as Aladdin (singing voice)
 * John Rhys-Davies as Cassim
 * Merwin Foard as Cassim (singing voice)
 * Jerry Orbach as Sa'Luk
 * Linda Larkin as Princess Jasmine
 * Liz Callaway as Princess Jasmine (singing voice)
 * Gilbert Gottfried as Iago
 * Frank Welker as Abu, Fazal, and Rajah
 * Robin Williams as Genie
 * Val Bettin as The Sultan
 * Jim Cummings as Razoul
 * CCH Pounder as The Oracle
 * Bruce Adler as The Peddler

Additional voices are provided by Jeff Bennett, Corey Burton, Jess Harnell, Clyde Kusatsu and Rob Paulsen.

Production
Following the success of The Return of Jafar, Disney announced in January 1995 that a third film was in production. In June, it was scheduled for a home-video release in 1996. In September 1995, it was confirmed that Robin Williams would reprise the role of the Genie reportedly for a $1 million salary, after he received an apology from Joe Roth for Disney breaching an agreement not to use his voice to merchandise products inspired by Aladdin. With Williams on board, all recordings and animation footage of Dan Castellaneta as the Genie was scrapped, and all of the Genie's scenes were rewritten to fit Williams's comedic style.

Adaptation
Two comic adaptations of the movie were on sale in September 1996.
 * The first is in Marvel Comics' Disney Comic Hits, #13.
 * The second is in Disney Adventures, Volume 6, #12.

Release
On its release, the film was accompanied by a marketing campaign at more than $70 million, with commercial tie-ins with McDonald's and General Mills.

Home media
At the time of its release, The King of Thieves was reportedly outselling The Return of Jafar, but Disney declined to disclose actual sales figures for the release. In 1996, the film sold 10.3 million units in the United States, generating at least US$130,000,000 1996 in sales revenue. It was the sixth-best-selling film video release in the United States during 1996.

On January 18, 2005, the film was re-released as a special edition DVD and VHS (the same day as The Return of Jafar), with the DVD version receiving a digitally-restored picture, remastered sound, two interactive games, and a behind-the-scenes bonus feature. However, the film is matted into a 1.85:1 widescreen ratio (an aspect ratio that, at the time, Disney had seldom used for television animation). The movie returned to the Disney Vault with the two other films in the series in January 2008. Aladdin and the King of Thieves and The Return of Jafar were released in North America on a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD combo pack on January 5, 2016, as a Disney Movie Club exclusive (with both films matted into a 1.78:1 widescreen ratio).

Reception
Based on 12 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has received a 33% approval rating, with an average score of 4.84/10.

Caryn James of The New York Times praised the sequel as "far better than The Return of Jafar", and acknowledged that "the video has some other weak spots, but these hardly matter when Aladdin and the King of Thieves is so brimming with comic invention and adventure".

Scott Blakey of the Chicago Tribune wrote that the story grows tedious after an hour, and recommended The Fool and the Flying Ship instead.

The Washington Post stated that the "art of animation is strictly Saturday morning quality again (jobbed out to Disney's overseas JV team), and the score is a long step backward from the original, meaning the movie lacks the lingering resonance and memorable visual moments of Disney's big-budget affairs. Essentially, the movie is comparable to other reputable animated titles like The Swan Princess and Balto – pretty good, but not exactly Disney."

Awards and nominations

 * 1997
 * Aladdin and the King of Thieves
 * Annie Award for Best Home Video Production
 * Won
 * 1997
 * Mark Watters, Carl Johnson
 * Annie Award for Best Individual Achievement: Music in a Feature/Home Video Production
 * Nominated
 * 1997
 * Aladdin and the King of Thieves
 * World Animation Celebration Award for Best Direct to Home Video Production
 * Won
 * }
 * World Animation Celebration Award for Best Direct to Home Video Production
 * Won
 * }

Canceled sequel
In 2005, screenwriter Robert Reece pitched a fourth Aladdin film to DisneyToon executives, but it never came to fruition.

title: Aladdin and the King of Thieves


text:
Great grey owl

The great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) (also great gray owl in American English) is a true owl, and is the world's largest species of owl by length. It is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, and it is the only species in the genus Strix found in both Eastern and Western Hemispheres. In some areas it is also called the Phantom of the North, cinereous owl (this name is also used for Strix sartorii), spectral owl, Lapland owl, spruce owl, bearded owl, and sooty owl.

Description
Adults have large rounded heads with grey faces and yellow eyes with darker circles around them. The underparts are light with dark streaks; the upper parts are grey with pale bars. This owl does not have ear tufts and has the largest facial disc of any raptor. There is a white collar or "bow-tie" just below the beak. The long tail tapers to a rounded end.

In terms of length, the great grey owl is believed to exceed the Eurasian eagle-owl and the Blakiston's fish owl as the world's largest owl. The great grey is outweighed by those two species as well as several others, including most of the genus Bubo. Much of its size is deceptive, since this species' fluffy feathers, large head and the longest tail of any extant owl obscure a body lighter than that of most other large owls. The length ranges from 61 to 84 cm, averaging 72 cm for females and 67 cm for males. The wingspan can exceed 152 cm, but averages 142 cm for females and 140 cm for males. The adult weight ranges from 580 to 1900 g, averaging 1290 g for females and 1000 g for males. The males are usually smaller than females, as with most owl species.

The call of the adult is a series of very deep, rhythmic 'who's, which is usually given in correlation to their territories or in interactions with their offspring. At other times, adults are normally silent. The young may chatter, shriek, or hiss. Tame owls may produce higher-pitched hoots when given food by humans.

Taxonomy
There are two recognized subspecies of the great grey owl spread across North America and Eurasia.

 * S. n. nebulosa (Forster, 1772) : North America from central Alaska eastward across Canada to south-western Quebec, and south to northern California, northern Idaho, western Montana, Wyoming, and north-eastern Minnesota.
 * S. n. lapponica (Thunberg, 1798) : Northern Eurasia, from Fennoscandia through Siberia to Sakhalin and Kamchatka Krai to Lithuania, Lake Baikal, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Manchuria and north-eastern China.

Habitat
In northern areas their breeding habitat is often the dense coniferous forests of the taiga, near open areas, such as meadows or bogs. In Oregon and California this owl has been found nesting in mixed oak woodlands. Once believed to require a cold climate, it is now known that this bird survives in a few areas where summer temperatures exceed 100 F.

Range
They breed in North America from as far east as Quebec to the Pacific coast and Alaska, and from Finland and Estonia across northern Asia. They are permanent residents, although northerly populations may move south and southeast when food is scarce. In Europe they are found breeding in Norway and Sweden and more numerously through Finland and Russia. Even though the species occurs in Europe, the first great grey owl recognized by science was found in Canada in the late 18th century.

There are sedentary populations in the Pacific states of California, Oregon, and Washington. The great grey owl in this region is found in disjunct areas of appropriate habitat. In winter these birds do not move far but may go downslope to escape deep snow as they must capture their prey on the ground.

In Oregon, the great grey owl breeding range is scattered from the Siskiyou Mountains in the southwest to the Blue Mountains in the northeast. Two bird festivals each May feature field trips to try to see the species: The Ladd Marsh Festival in La Grande, OR and the Mountain Bird Festival in Ashland, OR.

A 2015 study in California estimated there were fewer than 300 birds in the state at the time. The species is listed as Endangered under the California Endangered Species Act. The California range for the species includes a small extension of the Oregon population, north of Alturas. In addition breeding has been confirmed in the Tahoe National Forest east of Nevada City; in the Sierra Nevada foothills south of I-80 at around 2,000 ft elevation; and for the population clustered around Yosemite. In Yosemite is where the first nest south of Canada was found in 1914. A study of the Yosemite owls shows that this population has been genetically isolated from populations in Oregon and farther north for more than 25,000 years. Biologists working on that study suggest that the Yosemite population should be considered a separate sub-species (Strix nebulosa yosemitensis). Nearby populations at lower elevations were not tested.

In Washington state, great grey owls are found in the southeast where mountains extend up from Oregon and in the Colville National Forest. Only a handful of great grey owl nests have ever been found in Washington state.

Farther east in the western United States, great grey owls breed in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, as far south as the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

In northeastern North America, the owls are found year-round in southern Quebec and Ontario, but individuals will sometimes move further south in winter into New York and New England, apparently in pursuit of more abundant prey. Great grey owls are rarely sighted as far south as Pennsylvania and Long Island, New York. In winter 2017, the birds were recorded in northern New York in Robert Moses State Park and central Maine.

Breeding
Great grey owls do not build nests, so they typically use nests previously used by a large bird, such as a raptor. They will also nest in broken-topped trees and cavities in large trees. In southwestern and northeastern Oregon, the great grey owl has been using man-made platforms for nest sites since the 1980s. The erection of nest platforms for great grey owls was pioneered by Robert Nero in central Canada in the 1970s. Nesting may occur from March to May. Unlike, for example, osprey or white storks, the great grey owl does not predictably re-use nest sites over consecutive years. Four eggs are the usual clutch size. Eggs average 42.7 mm wide and 53.5 mm long. The incubation period is about 30 days, ranging from 28 to 36 days. Brooding lasts 2 to 3 weeks, after which the female starts roosting on a tree near nests. The young jump or fall from the nest at 3 to 4 weeks, and start to fly 1 to 2 weeks after this. Immediately after fledging, the white, fuzzy young must use beak and feet to climb back into trees. The female is on guard at this time and may be aggressive toward potential predators. Most offspring remain near their natal sites for many months after fledging. Normally the male hunts for his mate and the young throughout the nesting period. Once the young begin the fly, the female typically withdraws and the male continues to feed the young until they can hunt on their own in the autumn. The young owls go off on their own by winter. The abundance of food in the area usually affects the number of eggs a female lays, a feature quite common in northern owl species. In years when small mammal populations are very low the great grey owl may not attempt nesting; thus their reproduction is connected to the sometimes extreme fluctuations of small mammal populations. Also, great grey owls may not nest in years of drought. If food is scarce, they may travel a fair distance to find more prey, with considerable movements by large numbers in some years of particularly scarce prey. Though they do not migrate, many are at least somewhat nomadic.

One alert landowner in northeast Oregon, Andy Huber, helped a female great grey owl raise her four nestlings after a great horned owl killed the male. Huber live-trapped small mammals and then released them at the nest site, and the female took these to the nestlings. As the owlets matured and began flying they came for the prey on their own. Huber and the mother owl raised all four owlets successfully.

Feeding
These birds wait, listen, and watch for prey, then swoop down; they also may fly low through open areas in search of prey. They frequently hunt from a low listening post which can be a stump, low tree limb, fence post, or road sign. Their large facial discs, also known as "ruffs", focus sound, and the asymmetrical placement of their ears assists them in locating prey, because of the lack of light during the late and early hours in which they hunt. On the nesting grounds, they mainly hunt at night and near dawn and dusk; at other times, they are active mostly during the night.

They have excellent hearing, and may locate (and then capture) prey moving beneath 60 cm of snow in a series of tunnels solely with that sense. They then can crash to a snow depth roughly equal to their own body size to grab their prey. Only this species and, more infrequently, other fairly large owls from the genus Strix are known to "snow-plunge" for prey, a habit that is thought to require superb hearing not possessed by all types of owls.

Unlike the more versatile eagle and horned owls, great grey owls rely almost fully upon small rodents. What species they eat depends on which small mammals are most abundant and available. In northern Canada and other parts of Scandinavia, they eat lemmings primarily. In dry parts of California's Sierra Nevada they eat mostly pocket gophers. In some areas voles are the predominant prey. Locally, alternative prey animals (usually comprising less than 20% of prey intake) include squirrels, hares, moles, shrews, weasels, thrushes, grouse, Canada jays, mountain quail, small hawks, ducks, frogs and large beetles. This species is not known to scavenge or steal from other predators. In mated pairs, the male is the primary hunter who provides food for the entire family while the female guards and broods the eggs, nestlings, and flightless fledglings.

Threats
The harvest of timber from the great grey owl's habitat is, perhaps, the greatest threat to this species. Intensified timber management typically reduces live and dead large-diameter trees used for nesting, leaning trees used by juveniles for roosting before they can fly, and dense canopy closures in stands used by juveniles for cover and protection. If perches are not left in clearcuts, great grey owls cannot readily hunt in them. Although human-made structures (made specifically for use by this species) have been utilized by these owls, the species is far more common in areas protected from logging. Livestock grazing in meadows also adversely affects great grey owls, by reducing habitat for preferred prey species. Other dangers to great grey owls include rodenticides, collisions with vehicles, and the West Nile Virus. The West Nile virus is likely to become more prevalent with climate change. In Ontario and northeastern Oregon there are confirmed great grey owl deaths from the virus. Testing of owls in the Yosemite area since 2005 has found evidence of the virus in that population.

Due to their large size, great grey owls have few natural predators. Great horned owls, various small carnivores, and black bears have been documented preying on young, but such predators rarely threaten adults, and owls have been known to fend off animals as large as black bears when defending their nests. The only known predator of adult great grey owls is the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), which occasionally preys on the former in parts of Europe.

Territorial behavior
The great grey owl is not as aggressive as most other alpha predators. They are less likely to attack each other or potential threats than are other large predatory birds. They do not protect a large nesting territory, nor do they defend hunting territories through aggression. As an exception, the female is aggressive in protecting eggs and owlets. She is especially alert and aggressive when fledglings first leave the nest but cannot yet fly, and thus are extremely vulnerable.

This lack of territorial aggressiveness makes the great grey owl difficult to find in the field. Most owls respond to their own species calls if played back in a nesting territory. Great grey owls will often ignore such calls. They also do not flush every time a human approaches or drives past. The great grey owl often remains still even if a human is nearby and therefore they are often overlooked or unnoticed.

Provincial bird
The great grey owl is the provincial bird of Manitoba.

Captivity
As of 2016, there are four great grey owls captive in Oregon and California. Two live at Blue Mountain Wildlife near Pendleton, Oregon, a third lives at Lindsay Museum in Walnut Creek, California, and the fourth lives at CuriOdyssey in San Mateo, California.

A captive wild injured great grey owl, Boris, resides at the Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka, Alaska. Boris was found north of Anchorage with a trauma to his right wrist, leaving him flightless.

Another captive wild injured great grey owl, Errol, lives at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, Alaska. Errol came to the zoo from Wild Bird Rescue after injuring himself while colliding with the tire of a parked car.

The Eurasian subspecies of the grey owl is very commonly kept in European zoos.

In art
A great grey owl with human hands is depicted on William Schaff's album art for The Magnolia Electric Co., a 2003 alt-country album by Songs: Ohia.

title: Great grey owl


text:
Joan Kroc

Joan Beverly Kroc ( Mansfield, previously Smith; August 27, 1928 – October 12, 2003), also known as Joni, was an American philanthropist and third wife of McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc.

Early life
Joan Beverly Mansfield was born on August 27, 1928, in West St. Paul, Minnesota. Her father, Charles Smart Mansfield, was a store keeper and later a railroad telegraph operator and salesman.

Marriage and family
In 1945, Mansfield married Rawland F. "Rollie" Smith,  a Navy veteran who would become a McDonald's franchisee, eventually owning three stores in Rapid City, South Dakota. The couple's only child, a daughter named Linda, was born the following year.

Mansfield met McDonald's Corp. founder Ray Kroc, who was 26 years her senior, while playing the organ at the Criterion Restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1957. Ray said in his autobiography that he "was stunned by her blonde beauty". They were both married at the time. They met again at a McDonald's conference in 1969 and, within six months, they divorced their spouses and married each other. Following Kroc's death in 1984, she inherited his fortune.

Philanthropy
In 2002, Kroc Center, a large Salvation Army community center that she helped fund—to the tune of $87 million—opened to the public. She later bequeathed an additional $1.6 billion to open Salvation Army Kroc Centers across the nation, the largest one-time gift ever recorded. Several institutions in the San Diego area are named after her, including the think tank Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice and the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies- the world's top peace institution- at the University of San Diego, the St. Vincent de Paul Joan Kroc Center for the Homeless (Part of Father Joe's Villages- San Diego's largest organization helping the homeless) in downtown and the Kroc–Copley Animal Shelter in the Morena District. Additionally, Joan established and endowed University of Notre Dame's Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Kroc preferred to give donations anonymously, but recipient organizations often insisted on publicizing her gifts, hoping to attract new donors.

As the Padres owner, Kroc started Major League Baseball's first employee-assistance program for players and staff with drug problems.

Kroc was also politically active. In 1985, she spent millions of dollars in support of nuclear disarmament, which included reprinting the book Missile Envy by Helen Caldicott, as well as publishing ads in major newspapers calling for disarmament. She anonymously gifted a Paul Conrad sculpture depicting a nuclear mushroom cloud, Chain Reaction, to the city of Santa Monica, where it still sits today. Because of her public no-nukes work, Cal Thomas, a conservative syndicated columnist, called her a "McNut".

Kroc is affectionately known by the citizens of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, as the "Angel" because of her anonymous $15 million donation to assist the cities after a devastating flood occurred there in 1997. She was revealed as the source of the funds after reporters tracked down ownership of the jet that she used to fly into the area to survey the damage.

After her death in 2003, it was announced that Kroc had left the majority of her estate to the Salvation Army for the purpose of building recreation centers all across the nation. Another of her major donations was $225 million to National Public Radio (NPR) including $5 million to her local public radio station, San Diego's KPBS.

Death and legacy
Kroc died of brain cancer on October 12, 2003, at Rancho Santa Fe, California, at the age of 75. She was cremated and most of her remains were entombed at the El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley, San Diego.

Her will included significant bequests for a number of organizations:
 * $1.5 billion (equivalent to $ billion in ) for the Salvation Army
 * $200 million (equivalent to $ million in ) for National Public Radio
 * $50 million (equivalent to $ million in ) for the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice
 * $50 million (equivalent to $ million in ) for the University of Notre Dame's Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
 * $20 million (equivalent to $ million in ) for the San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care, which was in addition to the $18.5 million she donated to build the institution during her life.

In popular culture
The biography Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made The McDonald's Fortune and The Woman Who Gave it All Away, published by Dutton in 2016 and written by Lisa Napoli, examines the Krocs' relationship.

Kroc is portrayed by actress Linda Cardellini in the 2016 American biographical drama film The Founder.

title: Joan Kroc


text:
State Opening of Parliament

The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His (or Her) Majesty's "gracious speech from the throne" (also known as the King's or Queen's Speech), which is read by the monarch but written by HM Government. In the speech the monarch gives notice of forthcoming state visits, before setting out the government's legislative programme for the new parliamentary session. No business of either House of Parliament (the House of Lords or the House of Commons) can proceed until the Sovereign’s speech has been delivered.

The State Opening takes place in the House of Lords chamber within the Palace of Westminster on the first day of the new parliamentary session. This traditionally tends to fall in November, but can occur at any time of year (depending on the timing of General Elections and parliamentary session start dates). It takes place in front of a formal gathering of both Houses of Parliament; the monarch customarily wears the Imperial State Crown and a Robe of State, and members of the House of Lords wear their parliament robes (in contrast to the House of Commons, whose members wear day dress).

State Openings of Parliament are documented from as early as the 14th century, with the first visual depictions dating from the 15th century. The most recent State Opening was held on 17 July 2024, after the 2024 United Kingdom general election. It was the second of Charles III's reign, the first of the newly elected Labour government under Sir Keir Starmer, and the first State Opening with a Labour government since 2010.

Significance
The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremony filled with historical ritual, constitutional symbolism and practical significance relating to the governance of the United Kingdom.

Parliament is composed of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and a State Opening is the only routine occasion when the three are gathered together in one place. The monarch is seated on the throne, at one end of the chamber in front of the Cloth of Estate (with the consort, if present, seated alongside), flanked by an entourage of Great Officers of State and members of the Royal Household. The Lords are seated on "the floor of the House" (i.e. in the main body of the chamber), while the Commons attend at "the bar of the House" (the boundary rail at the far end, facing the throne).

In addition to the Lords themselves, others are provided with seats on the floor of the House on the occasion of a State Opening, namely:
 * such members of the Royal Family as His Majesty may direct
 * Judges summoned by writ
 * the officers and attendants of the House
 * such Peeresses and members of the Diplomatic Corps as are in possession of an invitation issued by the Lord Great Chamberlain.

Sequence of events
The ceremonial surrounding the opening of parliament can be broken down into several parts (the following descriptions refer to the full ceremonial of the event; for occasions when, for various reasons, reduced ceremonial has been used, see below):

Searching of the cellars
First, the cellars of the Palace of Westminster are searched by the Yeomen of the Guard. This is derived from the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, an attempted assassination of James VI and I in which Guy Fawkes was caught guarding gunpowder in the cellars hours before the king was to open the second session of the Blessed Parliament. Since that year, the cellars have been searched, now largely, but not only, for ceremonial purposes. This is supervised by the Lord Great Chamberlain, and the Yeomen are paid for their services with a small glass of port wine.

Assembly of Peers and Commons
Peers and peeresses assemble in the House of Lords. The Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal wear their Parliament robes for the occasion. They are joined by senior representatives of the judiciary, who sit on woolsacks in the centre of the Chamber, and members of the diplomatic corps, who are seated behind the Bishops. The Commons assemble in their own chamber, wearing ordinary day dress, and begin the day, as any other, with prayers. Beforehand the Speaker's Procession takes place in the usual way: preceded by a doorkeeper, the Serjeant at Arms, leads the Speaker of the House of Commons from his official residence to the Commons Chamber, followed by his trainbearer, chaplain and secretary. In the Central Lobby, a police inspector makes the traditional cry of "Hats off, strangers!", instructing those assembled to remove their hats in deference to the highest-ranking commoner in the realm.

Delivery of parliamentary hostage
On the morning of the State Opening, the Treasurer, Comptroller and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (all of whom are government whips) assemble with other senior members of the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace, carrying their ceremonial white staves of office. The Treasurer and Comptroller, along with other senior members of the Royal Household, accompany the monarch in the carriage procession; but the Lord Chamberlain does not join them. Instead, on behalf of the monarch, he remains at Buckingham Palace keeping one MP (the Vice-Chamberlain) "hostage" for the duration of the state opening, by tradition as a surety for the safe return of the monarch. The hostage MP is well entertained until the successful conclusion of the ceremony, when they are released upon the safe return of the monarch. The Vice-Chamberlain's imprisonment is now purely ceremonial, though they do remain under guard; originally, it guaranteed the safety of the Sovereign as they entered a possibly hostile Parliament. The tradition is said to stem from the time of Charles I, who had a contentious relationship with Parliament and was eventually beheaded in 1649 during the Civil War between the monarchy and Parliament (a copy of Charles I's death warrant is displayed in the robing room used by the monarch as a ceremonial reminder of what can happen to a monarch who attempts to interfere with Parliament); however it has been suggested that the custom in its present form is of much more recent origin (mention of hostage-taking only dating back to the 1960s or 70s). In 1845, by contrast, the Lord Chamberlain's routine absence from the State Opening was said to be due to "the department over which his lordship presides not being acknowledged in His Majesty's Palace at Westminster" (where the Lord Great Chamberlain instead has the equivalent authority).

Hostage MPs in recent years (all of whom were serving as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household at the time) have included:
 * 2014: Desmond Swayne
 * 2015–16: Kris Hopkins
 * 2017: Chris Heaton-Harris
 * 2019: Stuart Andrew
 * 2021: Marcus Jones
 * 2022: James Morris
 * 2023: Jo Churchill
 * 2024: Samantha Dixon

Arrival of royal regalia
Before the arrival of the sovereign, the Imperial State Crown is brought to the Palace of Westminster, together with the Great Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance, in their own carriage (usually Queen Alexandra's State Coach). The King's Bargemaster and Watermen accompany it, acting as footmen (a reminder of past times when the regalia were brought from the Tower of London by river). On arrival at the Sovereign's Entrance, under the Victoria Tower, the Crown is passed by the Bargemaster to the Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, under the watchful eye of the Crown Jeweller. The regalia are then carried to be displayed in the Royal Gallery. Also in the procession, usually in King Edward VII's Town Coach, are the two maces (separate from the three used by parliament) which are carried by the Serjeants-at-Arms of the Royal Household who escort the regalia in procession.

Arrival of the Sovereign and assembly of Parliament
The monarch travels "in State" from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, arriving at the Sovereign's Entrance under the Victoria Tower. Travelling in a state coach, the monarch is usually accompanied by his or her consort and sometimes by other members of the royal family. Senior members of the Royal Household follow in other carriages. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment provides a Sovereign's Escort, and other members of the armed forces line the processional route from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster.

At the monarch's arrival, the national anthem is played, a gun salute is sounded in Green Park and the Royal Standard is hoisted in place of the Union Flag at the top of the Victoria Tower (where it remains until the monarch departs). The monarch is greeted on arrival by the Lord Great Chamberlain (who has oversight of the royal areas of the Palace of Westminster) and the Earl Marshal (who has responsibility for State ceremonial), before proceeding to the Robing Room, where he or she puts on the Parliament Robe of State and the Imperial State Crown. A procession is formed of heralds, Great Officers of State and members of the Royal Household, and when all is ready a fanfare is sounded and the monarch proceeds in State through the Royal Gallery to the House of Lords. Directly ahead of the monarch walk two peers: one (nowadays usually the Leader of the House of Lords) carrying the Cap of Maintenance, and the other (nowadays generally a retired senior military officer) carrying the Great Sword of State. Once seated on the throne, the monarch, wearing the Imperial State Crown, instructs the House by saying, "My Lords, pray be seated"; his or her consort, if present, sits on a throne to the sovereign’s left, and his or her children, if present, may be provided with seats elsewhere on the dais.

The Imperial State Crown has not been worn invariably: for example, on four occasions in the 20th century Parliament was opened by as yet uncrowned monarchs (i.e. after their accession to the throne, but before their coronation); on these occasions the robe of state was worn but the crown was not (instead it was carried on a cushion by one of the Great Officers of State).

Royal summons of the Commons to the Lords' chamber
Motioned by the monarch, the Lord Great Chamberlain raises his white staff of office to signal the official known as Black Rod to summon the House of Commons. Black Rod turns and, under the escort of the Door-keeper of the House of Lords, proceeds to the Members' Lobby of the House of Commons, and reaches the doors of the Commons.

On Black Rod's approach, the Doorkeeper of the Commons orders that the doors are slammed shut against them, symbolising the rights of parliament and its independence from the monarch. The Usher of the Black Rod then strikes with the end of their ceremonial staff (the Black Rod) three times on the closed doors of the Commons Chamber, and is then admitted (there is a mark on the door of the Commons showing the repeated indentations made by Black Rods over the years).

This ritual is strongly associated with the occasion when (in 1642) King Charles I stormed into the House of Commons in an unsuccessful attempt to arrest five Members of Parliament, including the celebrated English patriot and leading parliamentarian John Hampden. (Since that time, no British monarch has entered the House of Commons when it is sitting.) The door-closing ritual, however, predates the 1640s, and although it has long since come to symbolise the independence of the Lower House, its primary purpose (according to Erskine May) is for the Commons to establish Black Rod's identity. (Once this has been achieved, Black Rod cannot be refused admission, and all other business of whatever kind in the House must cease.)

The doors having been opened, the Chief Door-keeper of the House of Commons introduces Black Rod. At the bar, Black Rod bows to the Speaker before proceeding to the table, bowing again, and announcing the command of the monarch for the attendance of the Commons, in the following words:

"Mr/Madam Speaker, The King/Queen commands this honourable House to attend His/Her Majesty immediately in the House of Peers."

During the later decades of Elizabeth II's reign, a tradition developed for this command to be greeted with a defiant topical comment by republican-leaning Labour MP Dennis Skinner, upon which, with some mirth, the House rose to make its way to the Lords' Chamber. This customary intervention was omitted by Mr Skinner in 2015, claiming that he had "bigger fish to fry than uttering something", due to a dispute over seating with the Scottish Nationalists. Skinner resumed the practice in 2016, until he was unseated in 2019.

Procession of the Commons
The Speaker proceeds to attend the summons at once. The Serjeant-at-Arms picks up the ceremonial mace and, with the Speaker and Black Rod, leads the Members of the House of Commons as they walk, in pairs, towards the House of Lords. By custom, the members saunter, with much discussion and joking, rather than formally process. The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition followed by The Deputy Prime Minister, First Secretary of State or another member of the government and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition usually walk side by side, leading the two lines of MPs. The Commons then arrive at the Bar of the House of Lords. The only people required to bow are the House of Commons Speaker, Commons Clerk, senior Lords official Black Rod and the Serjeant-at-Arms. No person who is not a member of the Upper House may pass the Bar unbidden when it is in session; a similar rule applies to the Commons. They remain standing at the Bar during the speech.

Delivery of the speech from the throne

The monarch reads a prepared speech, known as the "Speech from the Throne" or the "King's/Queen's Speech", outlining the Government's agenda for the coming year. The speech is written by the Prime Minister and their cabinet members, and reflects the legislative agenda for which the Government seeks the agreement of both Houses of Parliament. It is traditionally written on goatskin vellum, and presented on bended knee for the monarch to read by the Lord Chancellor, who produces the scroll from a satchel-like bag. Traditionally, rather than turning their back on the Sovereign, which might appear disrespectful, the Lord Chancellor walks backwards down the steps of the throne, continuing to face the monarch. Lord Irvine of Lairg, the Lord Chancellor at the time, sought to break the custom and applied successfully for permission to turn his back on the sovereign and walk down the steps forwards. The next Lord Chancellor, Jack Straw, continued the former tradition but succeeding Lords Chancellor have mostly chosen to walk forwards.

The whole speech is addressed to "My Lords and Members of the House of Commons", with one significant exception that the monarch says specifically, "Members of the House of Commons, estimates for the public services will be laid before you", since the budget is constitutionally reserved to the Commons.

The monarch reads the entire speech in a neutral and formal tone, implying neither approval nor disapproval of the proposals of their Government: the monarch makes constant reference to "My Government" when reading the text. After listing the main bills to be introduced during the session, the monarch states: "Other measures will be laid before you", thus leaving the government scope to introduce bills not mentioned in the speech. The monarch mentions any state visits they intend to make and also any planned state visits of foreign heads of state to the United Kingdom during the parliamentary session. The monarch concludes the speech in saying: "My Lords and Members of the House of Commons, I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels."

Traditionally, the members of both houses of Parliament listen to the speech respectfully, showing neither approval or dissent towards its contents before it is debated in each house. This silence, however, was broken in 1998, when Queen Elizabeth II announced the government's plan of abolishing the right of hereditary peers to automatically sit in the House of Lords. A few Labour members of the House of Commons cried "yes" and "hear", prompting several of the Lords to shout "no" and "shame". The Queen continued delivering her speech without any pause, ignoring the intervention. The conduct of those who interrupted the speech was strongly criticised at the time.

Departure of monarch
Following the speech, the monarch and his or her retinue leave the chamber. The monarch bows to both sides of the House of Peers and then leaves the chamber, walking in procession back to the Robing Room, before the Commons bow again and return to their Chamber.

Debate on the speech
After the departure of the monarch from the palace, each Chamber proceeds to the consideration of an "Address in Reply to His/ Her Majesty's Gracious Speech." But first, each House considers a bill pro forma to symbolise their right to deliberate independently of the monarch. In the House of Lords, the bill is called the Select Vestries Bill, while the Commons equivalent is the Outlawries Bill. The bills are considered for the sake of ceremony only, and do not make any actual legislative progress. For the address in reply, a chosen member moves "That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, as follows". The following is the form used in the House of Lords and is nearly identical to that used in the House of Commons: "Most Gracious Sovereign,

We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave to thank Your Majesty for the most gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament."

The first speech of the debate in the Commons is, by tradition, a humorous one given by a member selected in advance. The consideration of the address in reply to the Throne Speech is the occasion for a debate on the Government's agenda. The debate on the Address in Reply is spread over several days. On each day, a different topic, such as foreign affairs or finance, is considered. The debate provides an indication of the views of Parliament regarding the government's agenda.

Following this debate, a vote is taken on the Government Programme. This vote is treated as a vote of no confidence and losing this vote will automatically trigger a general election. When the Fixed-term Parliaments Act was in force, a general election was not automatically triggered if the vote was lost.

Openings in the absence of the monarch
Since 1901, the monarch has opened Parliament in person on all but six occasions. In 1929 and 1935 King George V was too ill to attend; in 1951 King George VI was too ill to attend; in 1959 and 1963 Queen Elizabeth II was pregnant and did not attend. In each of these years Lords Commissioners were appointed to preside over the opening, with the speech being read by the Presiding Commissioner (namely the Lord Chancellor). The speech was prefaced with the words: "My Lords and Members of the House of Commons, We are commanded to deliver to you His/Her Majesty’s Speech in His/Her Majesty's own words".

In 2022, when the Queen was absent on the day at short notice due to "episodic mobility problems", the heir-apparent to the throne and his elder son (the then Prince of Wales, now Charles III, and the Duke of Cambridge, now Prince of Wales) were appointed under the authority of section 6 of the Regency Act 1937 to open Parliament as Counsellors of State, with the then-Prince of Wales reading the speech from the consort's throne on this occasion.

Reduced ceremonial
On certain other occasions through history, ceremonial aspects of the State Opening have been scaled back for specific reasons (including plague in 1593, threats of assassination in 1679 and wartime restrictions in place from 1917-1919 and 1939-1948).

On three occasions in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (namely March 1974, June 2017 and December 2019) the State Opening was conducted in a "dressed-down" manner, due to the snap general elections held in those years. On these occasions the Queen attended in day dress, rather than the traditional ceremonial robes of state, and the Imperial State Crown was carried in front of the Queen rather than worn. Inside the Palace, there were reduced numbers in the procession, and outside motor cars were used in place of horse-drawn carriages (and no military escort accompanied them). Otherwise, the ceremony remained largely the same.

In 2021, the ceremony was scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Queen wore day dress and arrived by car at Westminster, where seating was restricted: 74 were allowed in the Lords Chamber, whilst 34 further MPs and peers were able to participate from the gallery. To prevent the spread of the virus, mask-wearing and testing was enforced, and the Lord Chancellor did not directly pass the speech to the Queen, but placed it on a table next to the throne. The State Opening in May 2022 was also scheduled to take place with reduced ceremonial, due to the Queen suffering "episodic mobility problems" (which eventually led to her being absent on the day).

Double and cancelled Openings
Throughout the twentieth century (including in wartime) the State Opening took place on an annual basis, with the following exceptions:
 * There were two State Openings in 1914 (and no State Opening in 1915);
 * There were two State Openings in 1921 (and no State Opening in 1923);
 * The first State Opening took place on 15 February 1921. Nine months later, on 10 November, Parliament was prorogued to 30 January; in the meantime, negotiations were taking place with regard to an Anglo-Irish Treaty. The treaty was signed on 6 December, and the following day a proclamation was issued summoning Parliament to meet in a week's time: a State Opening duly took place on 14 December, the King declaring 'I have summoned you to meet at this unusual time in order that the Articles of Agreement which have been signed by My Ministers and the Irish Delegation may be at once submitted for your approval. No other business will be brought before you in the present Session'. Parliament was then once again prorogued (to 31st January) on 19 December 1921.

 * There were two State Openings in 1924 (and no State Opening in 1925);
 * There were two State Openings in 1948 (and no State Opening in 1949).
 * On 24 June, it was announced that in order to secure the passing of the Parliament Bill, there would be a short session from 14 to 24 September, followed by an adjournment, then a new session from 26 October. On 14 September, the King opened Parliament with a very brief speech (just 74 words), announcing that the only business of the session would be the bill to amend the Parliament Act. On 24 September, it adjourned as planned, and the new session was again opened by the King on 26 October. The two weeks in September formed Parliament's shortest modern session.
 * There were two State Openings in 1974.

In the twenty-first century the State Opening continued on an annual basis, with the following exceptions:
 * There was no State Opening in 2011, as it was cancelled to ease the pressure for the planned introduction of legislation for fixed-term Parliaments;
 * There was no State Opening in 2018, as it was cancelled to lengthen the timeframe for the passing of Brexit-related legislation.
 * There were two State Openings in 2019 (and no State Opening in 2020).

Origins
The Opening of Parliament began out of practical necessity. By the late 14th century, the manner in which the King gathered his nobles and representatives of the Commons had begun to follow an established pattern. First of all, Peers' names were checked against the list of those who had been summoned, and representatives of the Commons were checked against the sheriffs' election returns. The Peers were robed and sat in the Painted Chamber at the Palace of Westminster; the Commons were summoned, and stood at the Bar (threshold) of the Chamber. A speech or sermon was then given (usually by the Lord Chancellor) explaining why Parliament had been summoned, after which the Lords and Commons went separately to discuss the business in hand. The monarch normally presided, not only for the Opening but also for the deliberations which followed (unless prevented by illness or other pressing matters); the Painted Chamber was one of the monarch's private apartments.

The Tudors
In the Tudor period, the modern structure of Parliament began to emerge, and the monarch no longer attended during normal proceedings. For this reason, the State Opening took on greater symbolic significance as an occasion for the full constitution of the State (Monarch, Lords and Commons) to be seen. In this period, the parliamentary gathering began to be preceded by an open-air State Procession (which often attracted large numbers of onlookers): the Monarch, together with Household retinue, would proceed in State from whichever royal residence was being used, first to Westminster Abbey for a service (usually a Mass of the Holy Ghost, prior to the Reformation), and thence on foot (accompanied by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in their robes) to the Palace of Westminster for the Opening itself.

The Wriothesley Garter Book, a 1523 illustration by Thomas Wriothesley, depicts King Henry VIII seated in Parliament in that year. It shows a remarkable visual similarity between State Openings of the 16th and 21st centuries. In both cases, the monarch sits on a throne before the Cloth of Estate, crowned and wearing a crimson robe of state; at his right hand sit Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor, with arms above under a cardinal's hat, and William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, with arms above. Behind stands Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of London and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Cap of Maintenance and Sword of State are borne by peers standing before the monarch on the left and right respectively; the Lord Great Chamberlain stands alongside, bearing his white wand of office, near the Garter King of Arms in his tabard displaying the royal arms (Thomas Wriothesley himself, the illustrator). Members of the Royal retinue are arrayed behind the King (top right). In the main body of the Chamber, the Bishops are seated on benches to the King's right wearing their parliamentary robes, with the Mitred Abbots behind them. The Lords Temporal are seated to the King's left and on the cross-bench, the status of peers is indicated by the number of miniver bars (white fur edged with gold oak-leaf lace) on their peerage robes: 4 for a duke, 3½ for a marquess, 3 for an earl, 2½ for a viscount, and 2 for a baron. Thus there are 2 dukes, both wearing ducal coronets, the first holding a Marshal's Baton, thus he is the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal of England. William Weston, Prior of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, premier baron in the roll of peers, dressed in black, sits at the end of the cross-bench. The judges (red-robed and coifed) are on the woolsacks in the centre (two Chief Justices, eight judges, and four Serjeants-at-Law ), and behind them kneel the clerks (with quills and inkpots). At the bottom of the picture members of the House of Commons can be seen behind the Bar of the House, with Thomas More, Speaker of the House of Commons, in the centre, wearing his black and gold robe of state.

The Palace of Westminster ceased to be a royal residence following a fire in 1512. Afterwards another of the King's residences was on occasion used (in 1523, for instance, the State Opening took place at Bridewell Palace, and the Mass beforehand at Blackfriars Priory). When (in 1530) the King moved into the Palace at Whitehall, however, the ceremony returned to Westminster. In 1536, the State Opening was held for the first time in the White Chamber of the Palace of Westminster, which is where the House of Lords sat; and so began the custom of the State Opening taking place in the Upper House of Parliament.

Subsequent developments
Since that time the ceremonial has evolved, but not dramatically. In 1679 neither the procession nor the Abbey service took place, due to fears of a Popish Plot; although the procession was subsequently restored, the service in the Abbey was not. The monarch's role in the proceedings changed over time: early on, the monarch would say some introductory words, before calling upon the Lord Chancellor (or Lord Keeper) to address the assembly. James I, however, was accustomed to speak at greater length himself, and sometimes dispensed with the Chancellor's services as spokesman. This varying pattern continued in subsequent reigns (and during the Commonwealth, when Cromwell gave the speech), but from 1679 onwards it became the norm for the monarch alone to speak. Since then, the monarch (if present) has almost invariably given the speech, with the exception of George I (whose command of English was poor) and Victoria (after the death of Prince Albert). During the Regency of 1811-1820, the Prince of Wales attended in full state and gave a Prince Regent's Speech.

A dramatic change was occasioned by the destruction of the old Palace of Westminster by fire in 1834. After that, the Painted Chamber (which had been gutted in the blaze) was roofed over and fitted up to serve as a temporary house of Lords, pending the rebuilding of the palace; the State Opening took place there until 1847, when the new Lords' chamber was opened.

The new palace was designed with the ceremony of the State Opening very much in mind; the choreography of the modern ceremony may be said to date from 1852, when the "Victoria Tower entrance" was used for the first time, and likewise "the Royal Staircase, Norman Porch, new Robing Room and Royal Gallery", establishing the modern processional route.

Between 1837 and 1861, Queen Victoria missed the State Opening on only four occasions (each time due to pregnancy); but following the death of the Prince Consort she avoided ceremonial events. She attended the State Opening in 1866 wearing a black dress and veil rather than the robe of state (which was instead draped over the throne); on this occasion she delegated the reading of the speech to the Lord Chancellor. Victoria attended the State Opening on six further occasions (in the 1870s-80s), wearing a small diamond crown in place of the Imperial State Crown; but otherwise delegated the opening of Parliament to Lords Commissioners (one of whom was usually the Prince of Wales). It was not until the latter's accession as Edward VII in 1901 that the full state ceremonial of the event was restored (with the king being in regular attendance and reading the speech himself). King George V resumed wearing the Imperial State Crown in 1913.

During the two world wars the ceremonial was reduced, and by necessity modified: for example, in 1940 the entire State Opening took place in Church House, Westminster for reasons of security; and then from 1941-1944 it took place in the Robing Room, which was serving as a temporary chamber for the Lords while theirs was in use by the Commons (whose chamber had been destroyed in the Blitz). Full ceremonial was restored for the most part in 1948, with the crown and robes returning two years later (once the Lords had vacated the Robing Room).

Queen Elizabeth II opened every session of Parliament during her reign, except in 1959, 1963, and 2022. In 1959 and 1963, she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively and those two sessions were opened by Lords Commissioners, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Geoffrey Fisher in 1959 and Michael Ramsey in 1963), empowered by the Queen. The Queen also missed the 2022 State Opening on the advice of her doctors. That session was opened by her son Charles, Prince of Wales and her grandson Prince William, Duke of Cambridge who, in their capacity as Counsellors of State, were empowered to do so by Letters Patent issued by the Queen for the occasion, the Prince of Wales reading the Queen's Speech (from the consort's throne) on behalf of his mother.

In 1958, the entire State Opening of Parliament was filmed and televised for the first time. In 1998, minor adjustments were made to the ceremonial inside Parliament with a view to shortening the proceedings.

In the 1998 Queen's Speech, Elizabeth II faced an unprecedented outburst when she outlined the government's plan to ban most hereditary peers from sitting in the House of Lords. The Queen's Speech was interrupted by shouts of "hear hear" from Labour MPs, and some peers appeared to respond to the interruption with "shame". This was regarded as a considerable act of discourtesy, and the first time in living memory that the sovereign's address, which is normally listened to in total silence, had been interrupted.

Equivalents in other countries
In addition to the UK, Opening of Parliament ceremonies are held in other Commonwealth realms. The governor-general or, in the case of Australia's states and Canada's provinces, the relevant governor or lieutenant governor, respectively, usually delivers the speech from the throne. On occasion, the monarch may open these parliaments and deliver the speech him or herself. In both Australia and Canada, the last time this occurred was in 1977. In New Zealand, the monarch last opened parliament personally in February 1990.

In Spain the Solemn Opening of the Parliament of Spain is conducted by the monarch.

In Malaysia, the Parliament of Malaysia also conducts an annual State Opening, usually in March, presided over by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. However, parliament is opened in the lower house (the Dewan Rakyat) rather than the upper house (the Dewan Negara), thus the sitting is conducted by its Speaker. Additionally, as there is no equivalent to the Lord Chancellor, the speech is presented to the Monarch by the Prime Minister. In India, the President of India opens Parliament with an address similar to the Speech from the Throne. This is also the case in Commonwealth Republics with a non-executive Presidency such as Malta, Mauritius and Singapore.

In the Netherlands a similar ceremony is held on the third Tuesday in September, which is called Prinsjesdag in the Netherlands. Article 65 of the constitution states that "A statement of the policy to be pursued by the Government is given by or on behalf of the King before a joint session of the two Houses of the States General that is held every year on the third Tuesday in September or on such earlier date as may be prescribed by Act of Parliament." In Norway, the King is required by Article 74 of the constitution to preside over the opening of the Storting after it had been declared to be legally constituted by the president of the Storting. After he delivers the Speech from the Throne, outlining the government's policies for the coming year, a member of the government reads the Report on the State of the Realm, an account of the government's achievements of the past year.

In Sweden a similar ceremony as the British was held until 1974, when the constitution was changed. The old opening of state was in Sweden called Riksdagens högtidliga öppnande ("The solemn opening of the Riksdag") and was, as the British, full of symbolism. After the abolition of the old state opening, the opening is now held in the Riksdag but in the presence of the monarch and his family. It is still the King who officially opens the parliament. After the opening of parliament the King gives a speech followed by the Prime Minister's declaration of government.

In Israel, a semi-annual ceremony, attended by the President, opens the winter and summer sessions of the Knesset. Though in the past he was a guest sitting in the Knesset's upper deck, the President now attends the ceremony from the speaker's podium and gives his own written address regarding the upcoming session. In the first session of each legislative period of the Knesset, the President has the duty of opening the first session himself and inaugurating the temporary Knesset speaker, and then conducting the inauguration process of all of the Knesset members.

In some countries with presidential or similar systems in which the roles of head of state and head of government are merged, the chief executive's annual speech to the legislative branch is imbued with some of the ceremonial weight of a parliamentary state opening. The most well-known example is the State of the Union Address in the United States. Other examples include the State of the Nation Address in the Philippines, a former American dependency. These speeches differ from a State Opening in at least two respects, however: they do not in fact open the legislative session, and they are delivered by the chief executive on his or her own behalf. In Poland, the President of Poland delivers his speech to the Sejm and the Senate at the First Sitting of these Houses, which is similar to Speech from the Throne. It is rather a custom than a law. Most Presidents of Poland delivered the Speech to the Parliament. The exception was in 2007, when President Lech Kaczyński, instead of addressing the Sejm, watched the First Sitting of the 6th term Sejm from the Presidential box in the Press gallery. The President of Mexico used to be constitutionally obliged to deliver a speech, similar to the American State of the Union, until 2006 when President Vicente Fox was impeded by the opposition parties from entering the Congress building for his sixth and final speech. Since that incident, the Constitution no longer requires the President's presence at the opening of Congress.

A selection of newsreels and other footage

 * Newsreel of the 1901 carriage procession (Edward VII's first State Opening)
 * Newsreel of the 1910 carriage procession (George V's first State Opening)
 * Newsreel of the 1917 carriage procession (during wartime: simplified ceremonial)
 * Newsreel of the February 1921 carriage procession (Return of full pre-war ceremonial)
 * Newsreel of the 1932 carriage procession (with sound)
 * Newsreel footage from 1934 (George V's last State Opening: due to thick fog he travelled to Westminster by car)
 * Newsreel footage from 1936 (Edward VIII's first and only State Opening: due to heavy rain he travelled to Westminster by car)
 * Newsreel of the 1937 carriage procession (George VI's first State Opening)
 * Newsreel of the 1946 carriage procession (post-war: simplified ceremonial)
 * Newsreel of the October 1948 carriage procession (Return of full pre-war ceremonial)
 * Newsreel of the 1950 carriage procession (George VI's last State Opening)
 * Newsreel of the 1952 carriage procession (Elizabeth II's first State Opening)
 * Newsreel footage from 1955 (Due to a rail-strike Elizabeth II travelled to Westminster by car]
 * Newsreel of the 1958 State Opening (the first time the ceremony inside the Palace was filmed)
 * Newsreel of the 1960 State Opening (filmed for the first time in colour)
 * Newsreel of the 1966 State Opening (the first time cameras were allowed in the House of Commons)
 * Newsreel of the 1970 State Opening
 * Newsreel of the November 1974 State Opening (the second of that year)
 * Full coverage of the 1976 State Opening (an ITN Special)
 * Videos of every State Opening since 1988 at C-SPAN

title: State Opening of Parliament