The next prime minister will not be chosen by the Queen in London the following week.
It was revealed Monday that she would lead the ceremony at Balmoral, which has renewed questions about her health.
The Queen won’t welcome a new prime minister to Buckingham Palace for the first time in her 70-year reign.
All 14 of her prior PMs had been appointed there, but due to recent mobility issues, she will stay in Aberdeenshire while on summer vacation.
Tuesday will see either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak travel the 1,000 miles round journey to the Scottish Highlands to be asked to form a government.
The result of the Tory leadership race will be revealed on Monday.
To officially submit his resignation to the Queen, Boris Johnson will go there earlier in the day.
According to The Daily Mail, Mr. Johnson will leave London early on Tuesday and deliver a goodbye address in front of No. 10 at approximately 8.30am.
He will be transported to Scotland on the smaller of the Government’s official aircrafts, accompanied by top officials.
He will travel independently from Balmoral to his home after his resignation, which will take him nine and a half hours by car, 45 minutes by private aircraft, or 90 minutes by British Airways’ regularly scheduled service from Aberdeen.
If Miss Truss wins, as predicted, she will travel independently to Scotland.
She will return on the Government plane after being sworn in as prime minister while she receives a briefing from officials on the most pressing issues, such as the country’s nuclear codes.
At around 4 o’clock, she will then deliver a speech outside No. 10 before beginning the formation of her government.
The Queen was supposed to travel from Balmoral to London for the handover at first.
However, there were concerns that last-minute changes would have been required if she were to experience what Buckingham Palace has described as her “episodic mobility issue” the following week.
It is believed that the decision to remain at Balmoral at this time was made to give the outgoing and incoming prime ministers certainty so they could plan their day.
According to Mr. Johnson, plans for the handover are being tailored to be sure that the 96-year-old monarch will be comfortable with them.
When asked about their last conversation and whether he was worried that she wouldn’t be in London for the handover, he dodged the subject by stating, “I don’t talk about my conversations with the Queen, no prime minister ever does.
However, I can assure you that we will make every effort to tailor the handover arrangements to her needs and preferences.
The fact that officials are unsure whether the Queen will be healthy enough to travel the following week is yet another reminder of her advanced age and growing frailty, according to former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt.
“Despite this, the Queen is adamant about performing her fundamental responsibilities.” Prince Charles, a future king-in-waiting, cannot simply be given the task of choosing a new prime minister.
The Court Circular will note that “the Prime Minister kissed hands-on appointment” after a new PM has been chosen.
This isn’t really the case, and a handshake is more typical. In actuality, any hand-kissing would take place during a Privy Council meeting.
Although it may take place virtually, that is anticipated to be the following day.
Since last autumn, the Queen has experienced health problems.
She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March, and Prince Charles presided over the State Opening of Parliament in her place in May.
She now frequently walks with a cane, but she was still able to appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in June for her Platinum Jubilee.
She was unable to attend the Birmingham Commonwealth Games or the customary summer Palace garden parties.
Strength in a handshake
After Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Sir Edward Heath, James Callaghan, Baroness Thatcher, Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson, the new prime minister will be the fifteenth during the reign of the Queen.
Although the monarch does not get to pick who runs the country, it is her constitutional duty as head of state to choose the PM, who heads Her Majesty’s Government.
Depending on the outcome of the Tory leadership contest, Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss is projected to have enough support to form the next government, according to Mr. Johnson’s last duty: advising the Queen.
Even though they will be named leader on Monday, they won’t take office as prime minister until they’ve seen the Queen.
The last politician who was asked to go Balmoral in order to become prime minister wasn’t exactly happy.
After receiving a telegram directing him to go quickly to Scotland in order to be appointed by Queen Victoria, the Marquess of Salisbury lamented, “This is “being sent for” with a fury,” in June 1885.
Compared to our 96-year-old queen, she was just 66 years old. Victoria didn’t see any reason to end her stay in Scotland, however. Since she didn’t want to leave Osborne House, she appointed two prior prime ministers to the Isle of Wight.
After Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, her son Edward VII’s third prime minister, resigned in 1908 due to failing health, Edward VII became even more demanding.
In order to assume office, Herbert Asquith had to go to the King’s room at the Hotel du Palais in the French beach town of Biarritz.
The handover for the next week is a whole other issue. Everyone acknowledges that our country’s longest-living and longest-reigning monarch, who is now the oldest head of state in the world, has consistently set the bar high for civic engagement.
How can any politician complain about a day trip to Deeside if, after 70 years in power, she still has “episodic mobility issues”?
The only reason we have been informed of the preparations for the handover on next Tuesday is to minimise any disturbance.
If two prime ministers—the outgoing and the incoming—are to be called to Deeside, at the very least, they should be informed in advance so they may make plans.
In addition, the Queen will like a quick changeover. All executive authority in the absence of a PM rests with her, and she won’t want to be left in charge of the nation in its current form for more than an hour or two.
The announcement does, however, raise additional questions over Her Majesty’s health. Because there had been a totally different routine up until a few weeks ago.
She intended to swear in new Cabinet members as well as designate a new prime minister. She insisted that this take place in London in order for “the business of government” to go as quickly and smoothly as possible. Windsor was not an alternative.
She didn’t want the TV news helicopters to show ministers stuck in gridlock on the M4 under her watch, as one government insider put it.
Additionally, London would reduce the possibility of protester disturbance (who had a go when Boris Johnson was on his way to be appointed in 2019). No other king or queen has been as meticulous in carrying out this ceremony throughout the city.
She was forced to end her tour of Australia in February 1974 because Ted Heath had announced a snap election, and she had to go back to London (a decision which caused great offence in Australia).
The fact that the Queen has modified her intentions now clearly shows more than just a change of heart. Instead, it implies that she has been advised not to make the arduous 1,000-mile round journey by her family, her advisors, and—more importantly—her physicians when there is no constitutional or reputational concern at play.
She doesn’t have any recent or distinct medical conditions, so I’m informed. She is in great spirits and has enjoyed the last several weeks spent with family. As it usually is, Balmoral has been a wonderful restorative. However, she continues to find it tougher to walk about comfortably.
Even a seemingly short trip, like the one from Windsor to London and back, may wear her out for many days, as her Platinum Jubilee festivities shown.
The issue of dignity is equally significant. She loves her role as monarch and is very aware of what the public wants from a monarch. A buddy claims, “She simply wants to look the part.”
She’s not hiding, for sure. Next week, a photographer and a television crew will be there to document the events at Balmoral.
She won’t seem as royal and collected, however, if she has to navigate summer visitors and renovation workers at Buckingham Palace the morning after an overnight train ride. Instead, she can simply go from her sitting room to the library in familiar tartan-draped surroundings.
Balmoral, then, will it be. Since there is precedence for PMs to resign by letter, Mr. Johnson is really not need to be present. He obviously believes that he has to give his resignation in person. As we’ve seen, there is precedence for kings to choose prime ministers outside of London; the most recent example being the appointment of Ramsay MacDonald at Windsor by the Queen’s great-grandfather, George V.
The pandemic has also created a precedent for swearing in Cabinet members and Privy Counselors through video connection.
It is reasonable to assume that the next person to occupy No. 10 will have less stress than the last PM who was appointed at Balmoral. The Tory statesman parked himself alone and covertly in a third-class carriage in order to evade reporters, as Andrew Roberts writes in his book, Salisbury: Victorian Titan.
The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury correctly predicted that it was the only location where an aristocratic politician travelling to meet Queen Victoria would not be expected to be found.