It’s clear the Queen was
determined to still carry out one of her most significant constitutional
duties. She appeared happy and well in a series of photographs documenting the
significant meeting between the pair.
But what really happened during the
exchange, which took place in the homely Drawing Room at Balmoral?
Liz was then officially
appointed in a historic ceremony – a tradition called ‘kissing hands’.
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The new PM was appointed in a tradition called ‘kissing hands’
The kissing hands are, at this
point, merely a symbolic gesture – today, simply being received by the Queen is
taken to validate the selection. But at one point in history, the prime
minister was actually required to kiss the monarch’s hand to show their loyalty
to the sovereign and the crown.
In his autobiography, Tony
Blair – who was operating on only one hour’s sleep following his election
victory – admitted to being a bit confused when a royal official told him,
“You don’t actually kiss the Queen’s hands in the ceremony of kissing
hands. You brush them gently with your lips.”
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Liz is the 15th prime minister of the Queen’s seven-decade reign
“What on earth did he
mean?” Mr. Blair added. “Brush them as in a pair of shoes, or touch
them lightly? While I was still temporarily disconcerted, the door opened and I
was ushered in, unfortunately tripping a little on a piece of carpet so that I
practically fell upon the Queen’s hands, not so much brushing as enveloping
them.”
In a statement following the
meeting, Buckingham Palace confirmed: “The Queen received in audience The
Right Honourable Elizabeth Truss MP today and requested her to form a new
administration.
“Ms. Truss accepted Her
Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon her appointment as Prime Minister and
First Lord of the Treasury.”
