When King Charles formally appointed Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, it was a historic moment for the new monarch. The memorable moment was the first time that King Charles has had to carry out the sovereign's duty of appointing a head of the government - and it came just seven weeks into his reign.
Pictures showed Charles and Mr Sunak shaking hands in Buckingham Palace yesterday - just minutes after former PM Liz Truss formally tendered her resignation, writes The Mirror. It echoed scenes played out just last month, when, in her final duties as monarch, the late Queen formally appointed Ms Truss after accepting the resignation of Boris Johnson.
However, it appears that Charles broke one of his mother's long-standing traditions when it came to her Prime Ministers during his appointment of Mr Sunak. Over the years when meeting PMs at Buckingham Palace, the late Queen would nearly always meet them in the audience room - a room filled with cosy furniture and family pictures.
However, yesterday, Charles opted to meet Mr Sunak in the 1844 Room at the palace, which the King has also used to meet dignitaries in the first few weeks of his reign. Remarking on the reason for the change, Dr Nigel Fletcher, a political historian at King’s College London told The Telegraph : "His Majesty chose the 1844 room for the meeting instead of the late Queen’s audience room on the first floor.
"I would imagine the King’s use of the 1844 room, where he now seems to hold all his audiences, reflects the fact the audience room was part of his late mother’s private apartments." Earlier this month, it was reported that Charles may never live at Buckingham Palace as his move to the monarch's official residence has been put on hold.
Buckingham Palace has been the sovereign's official home since the 1800s and was the primary residence of the late Queen until she moved to Windsor Castle on a more permanent basis at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Charles and Queen Consort Camilla's official London residence was Clarence House - a short walk from the palace along The Mall.
At the moment, Buckingham Palace is undergoing a mammoth 10-year renovation project that is costing £369million and is not due to be completed until 2027. And according to the Sunday Times, this means the King and Queen Consort have "no plans" to move to the palace from Clarence House until the works are completed - but will conduct engagements from there.
The publication reports that during this time, the Royal Standard will fly at both Buckingham Palace and Clarence House when the King is in London. However, it adds there are fears that Charles and Camilla may never move to the palace at all.
Sources who know the King told the publication he is "very comfortable" at Clarence House, with one adding: "He doesn’t see it [Buckingham Palace] as a viable future home or a house that's fit for purpose in the modern world. He feels that its upkeep, both from a cost and environmental perspective, is not sustainable."
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "It is expected that the necessary works will be completed for Their Majesties to take up residence in 2027. In the interim period, the Palace will be fully utilised for official business wherever practicable."
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