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A short ceremony, involving a lot of hats and a smattering of French, ended business in Parliament for this session on Friday night, ahead of the general election.

A Royal Commission, made up of five peers appointed by the King, take their places on the woolsack dressed in red ermine robes and black and two-pointed, bicorner hats.

They send a small group of Lords officials down the Westminster corridors to instruct Black Rod to summon representatives from the Commons, made up of the Speaker of the Commons, alongside the deputy speakers, the Clerk of the House and the Serjeant at Arms.

When they arrive, there is a ceremonial greeting, where the Lords doff their black bicorn hats and the Commons representatives acknowledge this by bowing.

The Acts passed this parliamentary session are then read from a parchment and the Clerk of the Parliament turns to face MPs and indicates they have Royal Assent in French, which translates as “the King wishes it”.