King Charles appoints the first UK prime minister of his reign
King Charles has appointed the first UK prime minister of his reign.
After Liz Truss visited Buckingham Palace on Tuesday to formally resign, His Majesty met with the new Conservative Party leader, Rishi Sunak, inviting him to form a government in his name.
The audience marked a historic moment, not only as the King's first appointed PM. While Charles, 73, is the oldest person ever to take the British throne, Sunak, 42, becomes the UK's youngest prime minister in 200 years. He's also the first Hindu PM, the first of Asian heritage to hold the top job.
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King Charles has appointed the first UK prime minister of his reign after inviting Rishi Sunak to form a government in his name. Aaron Chown/Pool photo via AP
The pair spoke for approximately 40 minutes in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace.
"The late Queen kept these meetings to 15 minutes," royal correspondent Charlie Proctor tweeted.
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"His Majesty likes a good chat."
Sunak, a former Treasurer in the Boris Johnson administration, had previously put his hand up to be leader of the party after Johnson was ousted earlier this year.
The pair spoke for approximately 40 minutes in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace. Aaron Chown/Pool photo via AP
However, Truss won the leadership battle and travelled to Scotland where she was appointed prime minister by Queen Elizabeth in Balmoral on September 6, just two days before the 96-year-old monarch's death.
Due to Her Majesty's ailing health, Truss became the first British PM in the Queen's reign to be appointed outside of Buckingham Palace.
Exactly seven weeks later, to the day, Truss walked into Buckingham Palace to tender her resignation.
Outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss arrives at Buckingham Palace to formally resign as Prime Minister to King Charles. Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Truss's 45 days in office made for a historic tenure.
The 47-year-old is now officially the UK's shortest-serving prime minister, taking the title from George Canning, who died after five months in office back in 1827.
Truss will also go down in British history for being in the top job after Queen Elizabeth's death, with her signature across all the official paperwork.
Rishi Sunak is greeted by King Charles III's equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, as he arrives at Buckingham Palace for an audience with King Charles. Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP
And Truss joins Winston Churchill in becoming one of the very few UK prime ministers in recent history to serve across two monarchs.
The Queen was served by 15 Prime Ministers across her reign, starting with Churchill in 1952, who was largely credited with helping the 25-year-old monarch navigate her new role.
He remained in the job until 1955 and the pair came to enjoy a close relationship.
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