The new prime minister will have to travel to Balmoral in Scotland for his audience with the queen before formally taking over at Downing Street, the royal family said in a statement.
Boris Johnson will also have to travel 500 miles from London to the monarch’s Aberdeenshire estate next Tuesday before stepping down as prime minister, to be succeeded by either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak.
The result of the contest to become the new Tory leader will be announced at lunchtime on Monday, with formalities for the winner, expected to be Truss, taking place the following day.
Traditionally, the outgoing Prime Minister makes a brief statement outside Number 10 before traveling to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to the Queen. His successor then sees the monarch, who invites them to form a government, before going to Downing Street, where they also speak.
However, the Queen is 96 years old and in increasingly frail health. He has spent the summer at Balmoral and, due to his lack of mobility, it is difficult for him to travel.
PA Media, which received the royal statement, said the Queen was experiencing an “episodic mobility problem” and while it might have been possible to go to London or Windsor Castle, it was decided to go on the safe side, to avoid having to modify the plans. in the last minute.
The two 1,000 mile round trips will significantly delay the delivery day timeline, which usually happens in a relatively short period of time.
Even during June’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the Queen traveled to Buckingham Palace only twice, for her colorful balcony appearance and pageant, spending most of her time at Windsor Castle.
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Under the UK’s system of constitutional monarchy, it is part of the Queen’s role to invite the leader of the largest party in the Commons to form a government and accept the resignation of former prime ministers. Truss or Sunak will be the 15th prime minister to receive it, starting with Winston Churchill.