The Queen will initially remain in Scotland, where she is on summer vacation, to host outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor next week, royal officials said on Wednesday.
The 96-year-old monarch traditionally holds audiences with outgoing and future prime ministers at Buckingham Palace, her official residence in London. It will be the first time in her 70-year reign that the monarch has appointed a new prime minister outside of Buckingham Palace.
Officials said Johnson would travel to Balmoral Castle, the queen’s summer holiday home in the Scottish Highlands, to formally tender her resignation on Tuesday. His replacement – either British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or former finance chief Rishi Sunak, the two finalists in the Conservative Party leadership race – will also make the trip on the same day and be asked by Queen Elizabeth to form a new government.
The Queen, who celebrated her platinum jubilee this year, has had mobility problems and canceled some engagements in recent months. She now regularly uses a cane.
Palace officials did not explain the new arrangement, but British media reported that the decision for her to remain in Scotland was made to ensure security for the political handover.
The Queen has spent most of the pandemic at Balmoral and has been traveling less recently due to what the palace has called mobility issues. (Andrew Milligan/Reuters)
Asked about the announcement, Johnson told reporters on Wednesday: “I don’t talk about my conversations with the Queen, no prime minister ever does.”
“But I can tell you that we will certainly make sure that the arrangements for the handover will suit her completely and everything that she wants.”
The Queen has been served by 14 prime ministers during her reign, from Winston Churchill in the 1950s to Johnson. Officially appointing the prime minister is part of her duties as head of state.
The monarch moved to Windsor Castle, west of London, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and now spends most of her time there.
Johnson announced his resignation in early July after mounting ethics scandals brought down his government. He remains in place as caretaker prime minister until his Conservative Party announces his successor on Monday.
Add Comment