Liz Truss is officially Prime Minister after the stoic cane-wielding Queen, 96, formally appoints her at Balmoral

THE Queen formally named Liz Truss as the UK’s 56th Prime Minister at a special audience in Balmoral today.

Her Majesty, 96, and Mrs Truss, 47, met for a traditional “hand kissing” ceremony in Scotland at noon today.

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The Queen grinned as she shook hands with Mrs Truss – the 15th Prime Minister she has appointed during her 70-year reign.

Leaning on a walking stick, Her Majesty rose to greet the incoming Prime Minister in a large drawing room.

Today is the first time the Queen has held such an audience outside of London or Windsor.

She appeared in high spirits despite having recently suffered from mobility issues which forced the decision to hold today’s changing of the guard at Balmoral.

Earlier, Ms Truss and husband Hugh O’Leary made the 500-mile journey by plane from London in stormy conditions, delaying their arrival.

The newly appointed Prime Minister will now return to London around 4pm for her first address outside Downing Street.

A palace spokesman said: “The Queen had an audience with the Right Honorable Elizabeth Truss MP today and asked her to form a new Government.

“Mrs. Truss accepted Her Majesty’s offer and kissed hands on her appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”

Boris Johnson previously met with the Queen to officially offer his resignation – in a face-to-face conversation that lasted around 40 minutes.

Afterwards, the Palace said Her Majesty was “graciously pleased to accept his resignation”.

When Boris returns to London, the ex-PM will be a backbench MP and has previously vowed to “softly return to politics”.

Speaking from outside of No 10 for the last time this morning, he said: “That’s it folks,” before comparing himself to a launch vehicle that had “done its function.”

Observed by MP allies, his former Associate No. 10 and his wife Carrie, BoJo said: “I am now like one of those launch vehicles that has served its function and I will now gently re-enter the atmosphere and be invisible at a distance splash down and obscure corner of the Pacific.”

Today was the first time the Queen had kissed the hand outside of London or Windsor.

In 1868 Queen Victoria appointed Benjamin Disraeli Osborne House, then a royal residence on the north coast of the Isle of Wight.

And in 1885 Lord Salisbury was appointed at Balmoral, while in 1908 King Edward VII appointed HH Asquith in a hotel room in the south of France.

It is understood the decision to hold the hand-kissing ceremony at Balmoral was made to give certainty to Mr Johnson’s diary and prevent a last-minute change of plan.

Windsor Castle was earmarked for the traditional constitutional ceremony before palace officials decided not to move the Queen from Balmoral.

She has been suffering from mobility issues for some time, although she rarely appeared on the palace balcony for the Platinum Jubilee.

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