The wacky ceremony that Canada had to complete before letting the King speak

Before any MP could begin the business of the 45th Parliament — and before King Charles III could even begin the Speech from the Throne — Canadian officialdom had to first participate in one of the country’s most obscure and ancient displays of governmental pageantry.

It involved swords, bicorne hats, a figure by the name of Black Rod and the ceremonial slamming of a door in his face.

The ritual is rooted in traditions that long predate European settlement in the Americas, and...