The break from tradition is due to the 96-year-old monarch experiencing mobility issues. Source: Michael Garnett, Flickr.
Queen Elizabeth II will meet outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor at her Balmoral residence instead of Buckingham Palace.
The 6 September meeting will be held in her Balmoral Castle residence in Scotland where the Queen spends her summers, according to a palace spokesperson.
Traditionally, the Queen meets the new prime minister at Buckingham Palace in London.
But there will be a break from tradition this time due to the 96-year-old monarch experiencing mobility issues.
At Balmoral she will have an audience with Boris Johnson and then Britain’s new leader shortly after, which will either be Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or former finance minister Rishi Sunak.
The result of who will succeed Johnson will be announced on 5 September and polls are indicating Truss is the frontrunner to become leader of the Conservative Party.
The decision to change locations is understood to have been made to avoid inconvenience for the new prime minister.
The choice was made in case the Queen needed to make last-minute rearrangements because of her mobility difficulties.
Her public appearances have been scaled back in recent months due to such issues.
During the past seven months, Buckingham Palace has been confirming her attendance for public engagements on the day, depending on how she is feeling.
Appointing the new prime minister who will lead the government is the Queen’s duty as head of state.
Every leader except one has been appointed at Buckingham Palace since the reign of Queen Victoria, according to constitutional expert Professor Vernon Bogdanor.
“There is no constitutional reason why the new PM should not be appointed in Balmoral,” he told the BBC.
“Indeed, some might think it pointless for the Queen at her age to travel to London for a purely formal ceremony.”
The new prime minister will be the 15th in Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign.
