Queen Elizabeth II will receive the new British head of government at her Scottish country estate in Balmoral.
The monarch will first welcome outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson for an audience next Tuesday and then his successor, the British news agency PA reported on Wednesday, citing a spokesman for Buckingham Palace. According to all polls, this is likely to be the current Secretary of State, Liz Truss.
During her time as a young politician with the Liberal Democrats, she spoke out in favor of the abolition of the monarchy. Truss now belongs to the arch-conservative wing of the Tory party and is a self-declared advocate of the monarchy.
The fact that the audience will take place at London’s Buckingham Palace at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, where the Queen is currently spending her summer holiday, is extremely unusual. The decision should fuel concerns about the health of the 96-year-old.
There are 800 kilometers between the seat of government at Downing Street and Balmoral Castle and that could make the handover of government significantly more complicated. When asked about the details of the unusual change in protocol, Johnson said he never spoke about his discussions with the Queen.
But everything will be done to ensure that the handover takes place in a way that best suits the monarch.
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic in 2020, Elizabeth II has largely withdrawn to her castle in the small town of Windsor, where her husband Prince Philip died in April 2021.
Last October, the Queen had to spend a night in hospital due to unspecified complaints, since then she has appeared less and less in public. She usually uses a stick or, like at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, lets herself be driven around in a golf cart.
More and more frequently, she has her son, heir to the throne Prince Charles, represent her at important official appointments. He replaced her for the first time at the opening of Parliament in May and read out the government program for the coming session in her place.
During the four-day celebrations in June for her 70th jubilee, the Queen only showed her tens of thousands of followers twice briefly on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. In all public appearances, however, she is always smiling and in a good mood.
