The monarch, 96, first held an
audience with departing Conservative leader Boris Johnson, who flew to
Aberdeenshire on Tuesday morning with his wife Carrie following his exit speech
outside Downing Street.
Boris then formally offered
his resignation to the Queen allowing the way for Liz Truss to step in as his
successor.
Liz is the 15th prime minister
of the Queen’s seven-decade reign and the first who she has appointed in
Scotland rather than London.
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The Queen welcomed Liz Truss to Balmoral on Tuesday
The monarch appeared well and
in good spirits on Tuesday, however. She was pictured smiling broadly as she
greeted Liz in the Drawing Room at Balmoral. While Her Majesty held a cane in
her hand, she didn’t appear to be heavily reliant on it.
She was dressed down in a
tartan skirt, with a blue blouse, a cardigan and patent flat shoes.
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The monarch appeared healthy and in good spirits
Royal fans were, of course,
thrilled to see the Queen looking happy and well. A huge number immediately
took to social media to express their delight at the chance to see the royal at
home. Some others did express concern about the significant bruising on her
hands.
“It’s great to see Her
Majesty again, it’s been too long!” one fan enthused, while a second
added: “So much [love] for the Queen!”
“God bless the
Queen!” said a third, while a fourth wrote on Twitter: “She’s so
sweet. She’s literally not just The Queen, but an angel.”
While it is the first time the
Queen has appointed a Prime Minister at her home in Scotland, it is commonplace
for Prime Ministers to be invited to Balmoral.
Former UK Prime Minister Tony
Blair and his wife Cherie were invited to the Queen’s country residence when he
was in office and the couple were very surprised at the normal life the royals
lead there.
Cherie recalled that they even
got stuck into the washing up: “You think I’m joking, but I’m not. They
put the gloves on and stick their hands in the sink. The Queen asks if you’ve
finished, she stacks the plates up and goes off to the sink.”
