Ninety-six-year-old Queen Elizabeth II may be slowly transitioning power to son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William, but the monarch is still likely to be dragged into Britain’s latest political drama: Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation.
While the queen does not vote and remains neutral on political matters, she retains a relationship with serving prime ministers, meeting with them and holding discussions on a regular basis.
On Wednesday, British media reported that Johnson held his weekly telephone call with the queen, although Buckingham Palace refused to say when asked Thursday if the pair had spoken again — particularly regarding the end of his premiership.
With Johnson expected to stay in his role until fall, it is likely his weekly discussions with the monarch will continue until a replacement is named.
While it is not known who will replace Johnson, when the individual is eventually named they will be expected to meet with the queen at Buckingham Palace, where the monarch will ask whether they will form a government.
“To this question, two responses are realistically possible. The most usual is acceptance,” the official royal website states.
In July 2019, Britain’s second female prime minister, Theresa May, traveled to Buckingham Palace, where she formally tendered her resignation to the queen.
“May curtsied to Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday afternoon and resigned,” The Washington Post reported at the time, before referring to Johnson as Britain’s “tousle-haired” new leader.
Over the duration of her seven decades on the throne, the queen has seen 14 prime ministers come and go: Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and now, Johnson.
