King Charles has been the monarch for less than seven weeks, and he is already his second Prime Minister.
Earlier today, only a few minutes after Liz Truss submitted her resignation to His Majesty in writing, Rishi Sunak proceeded to Buckingham Palace to be formally installed as prime minister. Just under two chaotic weeks had passed since she had her first weekly appointment with the King at the palace, during which he was overheard asking her the following: “once more? Oh my goodness.” Charles appointed a PM for the first time today after meeting with the new Conservative leader Mr. Sunak. Images from the meeting showed the two men grinning and shaking hands.
Additionally, compared to Ms. Truss, Charles and Mr. Sunak seemed to have a more “relaxed air,” according to body language expert Judi James. To the Mirror, she stated: “Charles appeared to be finding it much simpler, as seen by his more relaxed body language and symmetrical movements.
“In contrast to Liz, who appeared to be more overwhelmed by the meeting and eager to show deference, there was no awkwardly wide gap between them.
“She dropped her head more, but she still made eye contact with Rishi, and Charles’s easy demeanor and amused smiles were more humorous. However, it was more of a meeting between the King and the minister, and Truss. “This might be a meeting between two businesspeople.”
Judi took note of yet another action that revealed increased affection between the King and Mr. Sunak.
She clarified: “Eye contact, matching smiles, and even a strong palm-to-palm handshake with Rishi’s thumb clamped on top to convey warmth and a lack of apprehension was all part of the mirrored greeting ritual.
“Charles was supposed to have welcomed Truss with a ‘Dear oh dear,’ but his body language here, with his arms straight at his sides and slightly to the back of his torso, and the wreathed grin on his face, implies he had a light-hearted remark on hand for the situation.”
The Court Circular will note in the appointment of the next president that “the Prime Minister kissed hands-on appointment.” It frequently involves a handshake and is not literally the case.
Before requesting a politician to form a government, the monarch is under no need to seek advice from anybody or to do so.
