Speech from the Throne

Definition and stakes

Portrait of Herbert Allen Giles Herbert Allen Giles,  Gems of Chinese Literature (1922)

“ I would have freedom of speech in the advisers of the Throne. I would sweep away the errors which brought about the downfall of our predecessors. I would have reverence for the virtues of our ancient kings, and reform in the administration of justice, to the utter confusion of those who now pervert its course. Then, indeed, would the golden age be renewed over the face of the glad earth, and the people would move ever onwards in peace and happiness boundless as the sky itself. ”
Source: Wikisource

Portrait of J. Holland Rose J. Holland Rose,  William Pitt and national revival (1911)

“ They clearly felt their right; but they exercised it with pain and regret. They approached the throne with hearts afflicted at the necessity of applying for retrenchment of the royal gratifications; but the request was at once loyal and submissive. It was justified by policy, and His Majesty’s compliance with the request was inculcated by prudence as well as by affection.100
Admiration of the perfect manner in which the speech was delivered seems to have blinded contemporaries to its importance as a political pronouncement.
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Source: Gutenberg

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