King Charles has officially welcomed Rishi Sunak as the new Prime Minister of the UK. The new leader of the Conservative party is the second prime minister during the King's reign, which is only just over six weeks old.
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On Tuesday, Rishi, 42, was welcomed at Buckingham Palace by Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the King and Queen Consort, the monarch's Equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson, and Sir Edward Young, joint principal private secretary to the King.
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The politician was invited to form a government by Charles when they met after Liz Truss departed as the shortest-serving prime minister in history. Mr Sunak is the UK's first Hindu PM, the first of Asian heritage and the youngest for more than 200 years.
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The King and Mr Sunak were pictured shaking hands as they met in Buckingham Palace. A short while later, Buckingham Palace released a statement, which read: "The King received in Audience The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak MP today and requested him to form a new Administration.
"Mr Sunak accepted His Majesty's offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury."
© Photo: AlamyKing Charles welcomes Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace on Monday
The former chancellor swiftly addressed the nation from Downing Street shortly after leaving the palace. He warned the nation is facing a "profound economic crisis" as he pledged to fix the "mistakes" of Liz's leadership.
As head of state, it is the monarch's duty to appoint the head of His Majesty’s Government. The Royal Encyclopaedia states that the appointment of a prime minister is "one of the few remaining personal prerogatives of the sovereign".
© Photo: AlamyThe pair spoke on Tuesday after Liz Truss handed her resigination
The monarch does not act on advice nor need to consult anyone before calling upon a politician to form a government. But the overriding requirement is to appoint someone who can command the confidence of the House of Commons – which usually means the leader of the party with an overall majority of seats in the Commons.
© Photo: AlamyThe new PM seen arriving at Buckingham Palace
Mr Sunak will look to build a new Cabinet that might unite a fractious Tory party. He won the Tory leadership contest on Monday without a vote after rivals Penny Mordaunt and Boris Johnson dropped out of the race.
