For the moment it seems that Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who today announced his intention to resign, will stay in post until the autumn. However that has caused concern among many Tory MPs who want him gone asap and a caretaker PM put in place.
Whether Johnson has to go sooner, rather than later, it seems the protocol is the same. And the Queen has a role to play in it.
Johnson, who is the 14th Prime Minister of her 70-year reign, will travel to see her to formally tender his resignation, usually after his successor as Conservative Party leader has been appointed.
Read more: Boris Johnson announces resignation with coded warning to successor
The beleaguered PM is reported to have phoned the Queen on Thursday morning as a courtesy as he prepared to tell the nation he is quitting, although Buckingham Palace declined to comment. After he resigns, she will say who she has invited to become Prime Minister to replace him.
That person will then go to meet the Queen to accept the invitation - the appointment of a Prime Minister is 'one of the few remaining personal prerogatives of the sovereign', say Royal experts.
A PM’s resignation audience has always traditionally taken place at Buckingham Palace, but the Queen’s age and ongoing mobility problems and suggestions that Mr Johnson will remain in the role until the autumn could potentially see the audience taking place at Balmoral Castle for what could be the first time in recent history.
The Queen travels to her private home in the Scottish Highlands each summer for her annual break, usually staying until October. Mr Johnson is thought to be more likely to travel to her rather than making the 96-year-old Queen return to London or Windsor, if the leadership process is completed in September while the monarch is still in Scotland.
A new Tory leader is expected to be in place by the party’s conference, which begins on October 2.
Read Next
