In a few weeks, Boris Johnson will be driven to Buckingham Palace to give Queen Elizabeth II his official letter of resignation from the UK government. Then, following the rite, she will call the new British prime minister – previously chosen by the Conservative Party, currently in power – into her residence and will appoint him as the new leader.
This will be the 15th time that Elizabeth, on the throne since 1952, has given her blessing to a new head of government. The longest-serving queen of the United Kingdom lived with leaders already in the history books, such as the conservative Winston Churchill —premier during the Second World War and author of the expression “iron curtain”—and Margaret Thatcher, the first woman to hold the position, responsible for diminishing the role of the state while increasing market mechanisms in England.
In her 70-year reign, Elizabeth has seen ten terms of Conservative and four Labor leaders so far. This does not mean that she interfered in governments, as the queen must remain politically neutral and act in accordance with the will of the ruling party, as if she were somehow protected from political turmoil, although aware of what is happening.
However, Elizabeth “has a special relationship with the prime minister”, reports the website of the British monarchy. First, because the leader is officially appointed by her, and second, because she regularly meets with the head of government. On weekly calls and sporadic face-to-face meetings with Boris, Elizabeth was consulted on the day’s affairs and gave her advice.
When a new government will actually begin, the Queen is also responsible for ushering in the year of Parliament by reading a speech previously written by the government to her, seated on a throne in the House of Lords, the room with the grandest interiors in Westminster. Elizabeth only failed to fulfill the tradition, established at the end of the 14th century, in three moments – 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant, and this year, when she was represented by Prince Charles and grandson William.
Aside from her role, in her seven decades of reign Elizabeth saw the death of most of the prime ministers with whom she lived and is now heading, at the age of 96, towards the seventh living leader to whom she will listen. Before giving his resignation speech on Thursday (7), Boris warned the queen, as a courtesy, and according to reports she was informed by him of the unfolding of the crises in recent days, when more than 50 lawmakers from the Conservative government resigned.
Who also survives the revolving door of rulers is the cat Larry, resident of 10 Downing Street. Since 2011, when he moved into the British government’s seat and official residence of the leader, the feline has purred to two prime ministers and one prime minister, all of whom are conservatives — David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
Larry, 15, was rescued from a London shelter for his skills with mice, earning him the official title of “chief mouser”, according to the British government website. Like all cats, Larry is independent, meaning he remains in the house even with the change of government — his owners are Downing Street officials, not the prime ministers.
Her role is more than just being the face of cuteness in moments of political hysteria. According to the government website, “Larry spends his days greeting house guests, inspecting security defenses, and testing the napping qualities of antique furniture.”
