Queen Elizabeth To Meet New British PM Liz Truss In Balmoral For First Time In Her 70-Year Reign

The new British Prime Minister Liz Truss will be received by Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral Castle this week. This is a historic first in the Queen’s 70-year-reign where she has traditionally done this at Buckingham Palace. This announcement comes as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially touched down in the UK, visiting Manchester on Monday to kick off their UK tour. They are not expected to meet with the Royal Family during their visit.

According to CNN, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen will be met by outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Balmoral Castle, following his resignation from the parliament in July. He makes his final leave from Downing Street on Sept. 6 where he will have an audience with his successor, incoming PM Truss.

When asked about the announcement of the new arrangements, Boris Johnson replied, “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 fit totally around her and whatever she wants.”

Palace sources said the decision to move the reception at Balmoral, which is the Queen’s summer holiday home in the Scottish Highlands, is to ensure that the 96-year-old monarch would have alternative arrangements made last minute should she experience any episodic mobility issues.

Truss will be received by the Queen before she officially takes her responsibility as Britain’s third female Prime Minister. Under the Queen’s reign, Truss is the 15th PM. This is the first time a British Prime Minister has officially tendered resignation with Johnson being left with no choice but to step down. Following months of scandals and dozens of ministerial resignations, Johnson lost the support and confidence of his fellow MPs. The race to take his seat boiled down to former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and then Foreign Secretary Truss.

Meanwhile, Royal Family fans may be in for a disappointment with a much-awaited reunion of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with Prince William and Kate Middleton. Harry and Meghan’s UK itinerary does not seem to include a meeting with the Royal Family, especially after the latter's bombshell interview with The Cut magazine where she allegedly made confusing claims about Harry’s relationship with his father Prince Charles.