For the first time ever, Queen Elizabeth II will not return to Buckingham Palace to receive the next prime minister of the United Kingdom, CNN reports.
The 96-year-old will instead remain at her holiday home in Scotland, where outgoing PM Boris Johnson and his successor will travel to meet her. The unprecendented decision was apparently made so as to "provide certainty for the Prime Minister's diary," CNN summarizes, per a royal source; in other words, the arrangement avoids any last-minute, health-related travel complications on behalf of the queen.
Appointing a new prime minister is one of the monarch's principal responsibilities, CNN notes. The outgoing Johnson originally announced his plans to resign back in July, though he said he would stay on until his replacement is chosen. He will tender his resignation before Queen Elizabeth next week.
Otherwise, the new Conservative Party leader will be officially announced Tuesday, though the results of the contest — which pits Foreign Secretary Liz Truss against former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak — are expected Monday. The winner will then have an audience with the queen at Balmoral, shortly following Johnson's.
