LONDON (AP) — These two photographs, taken exactly seven weeks apart, capture the monarch’s traditional and ceremonial ceremony as he meets the waiting British Prime Minister to call for the formation of a new government .
They are also bookends.
A lot of time passed between the first and second attacks, sending the country into mourning and then into a sharp and tumultuous economic crisis. There was a series of crustal movements that many people in Japan had never experienced before.
Queen Elizabeth II met with incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss on September 6th. It was the last time her queen was shown to the public after her 70 years on the throne. Her reign spanned her two centuries of world wars, post-colonialism, Brexit, and pandemics.
For Truss, it was a fresh start, capping off weeks of bruising battles for Conservative leadership with Rishi Sunak (more on him later) and giving her the keys to 10 Downing Street. handed over to Her predecessor, Boris Johnson, had been forced to resign amid an ethics scandal.
The Queen, who is using a walking cane, is seen smiling after a long period of mobility problems, and Truss can also be seen smiling while shaking hands from a side angle. Died a day later.
For many, the meeting was perhaps the high point of Truss’ premiership. Her liberal economic policies unsettled markets and sent the pound to its lowest level against the dollar in nearly 40 years.
And this week, another photo: former Treasury Secretary and current Prime Minister Sunak was seen shaking hands with King Charles III on Tuesday. The same Snak who said the Truss economic plan was a “fairy tale”. He may have gotten the last word with his predecessor, but he has a major obstacle ahead of him – one of the deepest economic crises in Britain in modern history.
The UK became the third leader this year, with the last two taking office without a direct mandate from the British people. They were elected leader of the Conservative Party and automatically became Prime Minister. There is an uproar about the general election inside and outside the opposition party. By law, that doesn’t mean he has to be until 2024, and Sunak says he won’t call.
Charles III’s position is stable and will almost certainly outlast the government. His mother said he met 15 prime ministers during his 70 years on the throne. Charles will be his second in less than two months. However, he remains the oldest person to ascend the British throne.
In the midst of all this chaos, who knows what the following photo shows?