The Queen has been seen for the first time in weeks following more concerns over her health as she appointed Liz Truss as Britain's next Prime Minister.
The Monarch welcomed the Tory to her home in Balmoral this afternoon shortly after accepting Boris Johnson's resignation. Her Majesty was seen clutching her walking stick as she shook hands with the new PM at her holiday home in the Scottish Highlands.
Truss, who was elected leader of the Conservative Party yesterday, is the 15th Prime Minister the Queen has worked with during her 70-year reign.
A series of photos taken inside the estate's Drawing Room show the Queen smiling broadly, dressed in a grey cardigan and pleated tartan skirt. The private audience, details of which will not be made public, may have been slightly awkward given that Truss has previously called for the Monarchy to be abolished.
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Buckingham Palace released a statement reading: "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."
Truss took a private plane followed by a chauffeur-driven car from London to Scotland this morning, accompanied by her husband Hugh O’Leary.
They were welcomed by the Queen’s private Secretary Sir Edward Young and her Equerry Lieutenant Colonel Tom White.
Ms Truss said “good afternoon” as she first shook hands with the Equerry, who gestured towards Sir Edward and the aide introduced himself before the politician and her husband were ushered inside.
Following the royal audience, Truss's team promptly updated her social media accounts. Her Twitter bio now reads: "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Leader of the Conservative Party. MP for South West Norfolk."
Earlier today, the Monarch had a meeting with Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie, during which he officially resigned as Prime Minister.
The couple spent about 40 minutes with the Queen, however the details of the meeting will not be made public.
A statement from Buckingham Palace read: “The Right Honourable Boris Johnson MP had an Audience of The Queen this morning and tendered his resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which Her Majesty was graciously pleased to accept.”
It came hours after Johnson delivered a chaotic farewell speech outside Number 10, during which he compared himself to a "booster rocket" and took one last jibe at Tory MPs who ousted him.
Boris Johnson told his Tory colleagues “it’s time for politics to be over, folks”.
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He said: “This is a tough time for the economy. This is a tough time for families up and down the country.
“We can and we will get through it, and we will come out stronger the other side.
“But I say to my fellow Conservatives, it’s time for politics to be over, folks.
“It’s time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her team, and her programme, and deliver for the people of this country. Because that is what the people of this country want. That’s what they need. And that’s what they deserve.”
