§ MR. A. J. BALFOUR (Manchester, E.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the Government intend to make any arrangements for the representation of this House at the Royal Wedding; and whether Mr. Speaker is to be requested to attend officially on behalf of the House?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEIn answer to the right hon. Gentleman, what I find has taken place is this: A communication has been made to the Speaker of the House of Commons including him among the distinguished personages receiving invitations to Royal marriages. I think that has been the case on almost every occasion that has occurred. But I do not find that he 1352 has ever been invited, in a strict sense, in his capacity as the Representative of this House. I think the evidence is rather to a contrary effect, because while several of these marriages have been strictly State ceremonials, others of them being not State ceremonials, though they were Court festivities, I find that on the occasion of the State ceremonials, as when the Queen was married, Speaker Lefevre was invited with Mrs. Shaw-Lefevre. A similar course was taken on the marriage of the Princess Royal, and that of the Prince of Wales as to Speaker Denison and Mrs. Denison, so that it could not be considered that Mr. Speaker attended in his strictly official capacity as representing the House of Commons.