ELiz Truss had been British Prime Minister for just two days when Queen Elizabeth II died. He thought, “Why me, why now?” writes Truss, the shortest-serving head of government in British history, in his memoirs, which was quoted by the Daily Mail. He was in a “state of shock.”
Queen Elizabeth formally appointed Truss as Prime Minister on 6 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The photo from the meeting is believed to be the last official image of the Queen, who died on September 8 at the age of 96.
Truss remembers talking to the Queen about politics for 20 minutes. The monarch appeared weaker than usual, but was well informed and, as usual, “sharp and funny”. In the audience, he had no idea “that the end would come so quickly,” Truss, 48, writes. The queen warned him that as a head of government you get old incredibly fast and advised him to distribute his power well. “Maybe I should have listened to him.”
“Friendship feeling” with King Charles
He did not expect to lead the country in mourning for a queen who had been on the throne for 70 years. Some of his predecessors would have served the country better than him in this situation, writes Truss, according to the Guardian. He didn't name names. The protocol and state ceremony were outside his “natural comfort zone.”
In his book, Truss also describes the first audience with Elizabeth's son, King Charles III. Truss said he felt a “weird sense of camaraderie” between the two. Ultimately, they both had to find their way in a new role and unfamiliar territory.
The monarch's death saw ten days of national mourning in the UK, during which political and social life came to a standstill. Truss then announced radical changes to economic policy, such as loan tax relief, together with his finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng. Markets crashed. Truss had to back down and resigned after only 49 days in office.
The conservative politician blames liberal market forces for his failure and defends his radical approaches. Most recently, Truss attracted attention with extreme right-wing statements and conspiracy theories. He continues to be in the British Parliament.