Queen's speech

English

Noun

Queen's speech (plural Queen's speeches)

1. An address to the people of the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth broadcast on radio and television by the Queen on Christmas Day
2. An annual statement made by the Queen in the House of Lords to the assembled members of both houses of parliament outlining the government's proposed legislation programme for the next twelve months.

Usage notes

• Officially, the "Royal Christmas Message" (sense 1).
• This term is used when there is a queen on the throne.

Related terms

• King's speech

Translations

Translations

• Faroese: trónutala f

Further reading

• State Opening of Parliament on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “Queen's speech”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.