Queen ‘to appoint new prime minister at Balmoral as she suffers mobility issues’ in historic first
Arrangements are currently underway for the Queen to appoint the new prime minister at her Balmoral residence rather than at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle for the first time in living memory.
According to a source, the monarch, 96, as been advised to remain at her Scottish lodgings – where she is currently enjoying her summer holiday – for the ceremony on 6 September in an historic first.
She has faced episodic mobility issues since last autumn and now regularly uses a walking stick. She has also been forced to shorten the length of several official engagements this year.
The Queen sadly missed much of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, but did make two separate brief appearances on the palace balcony.
As per tradition, the Queen would normally invite the new leader to the so-called kissing of the hands cermony at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.
And it had previously been touted that the Queen would cut short her Balmoral holiday short to greet Mr Johnson’s replacement and oversee the transition of power.
But, due to her ongoing mobility problems, either Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – the final two leadership hopefuls competing to succeed Boris Johnson in No 10 – will need to make a 1,000-mile round trip to Balmoral to meet with the monarch, reports suggest.
The advice issued to the Queen is understood to be based on concerns about her comfort, reports The Sun, and a final decision on the location for the ceremony will be announced publicly next week.
A source told the outlet: “The Queen has now been advised not to travel.
“But obviously no one tells the Queen what to do and ultimately it is her decision, and as we saw when she made a third appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the Jubilee she likes surprises.
“There are some parts of her role that Prince Charles can do on her behalf but the Queen is adamant that she appoints the prime minister.
“It may not be the best choice to make the Queen travel 1,000 miles there and back for a 48-hour visit when the prime ministers can easily get to Balmoral instead.”
Insiders also said that it is incredibly rare for any monarch not to appoint a new prime minister outside Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.
Conservative members will elect a new party leader on 5 September.
Mr Johnson is expected to be at Balmoral the following day to tender his resignation in an audience with the monarch.
