The King plays an important constitutional role in the appointment of a new prime minister. It is one of the few remaining personal prerogatives of the sovereign, and the monarch does not act on advice nor need to consult anyone before calling upon a politician to form a government. However, he must 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.
Constitutional Conventions and Advice
The monarch is guided by constitutional conventions and can seek advice from the outgoing prime minister, any other political leader, senior privy counsellors, or whomever he pleases within the limits of prudence and caution. Sir Keir Starmer has informed Charles of his decision to resign as leader of the Labour Party and prime minister. But he will still have to meet the King in person later to formally tender his resignation during an audience, as is tradition. This will take place immediately before the monarch asks Sir Keir's successor – once they have been selected as Labour leader – in person to form a government. The most usual response is acceptance, and Charles will welcome the fourth prime minister of his reign – after Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir.
Ceremony and Traditions
The Court Circular – the daily notice of official royal engagements – will record that the new prime minister kissed hands on appointment. But in reality it will be a handshake. An incoming male premier will also usually bow and a female premier curtsy, if they choose to do so. Sir Tony Blair recalled in his autobiography how he was told just before his audience after his landslide 1997 election by a tall official with a stick: “You don’t actually kiss the Queen’s hands in the ceremony of kissing hands. You brush them gently with your lips.” In the end, he recounted how he tripped on a piece of the carpet and “practically fell upon the Queen’s hands, not so much brushing as enveloping them”, with the monarch remarking he seemed “enthusiastic”. More than a decade later in 2010, the incoming prime minister David Cameron took the late Queen’s hand, but did not kiss it or kneel, before being asked if he could form a government.
Weekly Audiences and Neutrality
The actual kissing of hands now usually takes place later at a Privy Council meeting, for new privy counsellors and when the new prime minister swears or affirms an oath as First Lord of the Treasury. A prime minister holds a private weekly audience with the monarch each Wednesday to discuss Government matters following Prime Minister’s Questions, with the conversation usually taking place face to face. Although the King must remain politically neutral on all matters, he is able to advise and warn his ministers – including his prime minister – when necessary.
