Liz Truss became Britain’s prime minister on Tuesday, when Queen Elizabeth II invited her to form a government, a day after Truss was confirmed as the new leader of the Conservative Party.
The transfer of power from the outgoing prime minister, Boris Johnson, was accomplished in time-honored fashion, in a pair of back-to-back meetings with the monarch, though the setting was unusual: Balmoral Castle, a sprawling estate in the Scottish countryside where the queen spends much of the summer.
Johnson arrived at the castle door at 11:15 a.m. with his wife, Carrie, and submitted his resignation to the queen in the drawing room shortly afterward. Truss arrived about an hour later, accompanied by her husband, Hugh O’Leary, to become the 15th prime minister to meet with the monarch (her first was Winston Churchill).
The meetings were held at Balmoral, rather than at Buckingham Palace, as is the usual custom, because the 96-year-old queen is suffering problems with her mobility and was advised by her doctors not to travel to London. In a photo released by the palace, a smiling queen greeted Truss, holding a walking stick.
After the meeting, Truss flew back to London, where she is scheduled to address the nation from Downing Street in the late afternoon. Read more about Britain’s next prime minister at the link in our bio. Pool photo by Jane Barlow