All change! King Charles welcomed Rishi Sunak in a different Buckingham Palace room from the one the Queen used to greet Prime Ministers – and laid on Diwali sweets
- New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was greeted by The King at Buckingham Palace
- Charles III made him PM at a Buckingham Palace audience with Diwali sweets
- Mr Sunak made history as Britain’s first Hindu and first Asian Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak was welcomed to Buckingham Palace by the King yesterday where in a touching gesture, Diwali sweets were on offer.
Charles appointed the new Conservative leader as the country’s third Prime Minister in just two months after the tumultuous departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
The pair met in the Palace’s lavish 1844 Room which had a selection of sweet treats marking Diwali – a five-day ‘Festival of Lights’ celebrated this week by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, marking the triumph of good over evil.
The room is a new setting for the monarch’s meetings with the Prime Minister – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II used another room to appoint David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
Charles III meets Rishi Sunak in Buckingham Palace’s 1844 Room yesterday (left) and Boris Johnson meets with the Queen after taking over from Theresa May as Conservative Party leader in July 2019 (right)
(Stock Image) Sweets and traditional food are an essential part of Diwali, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains
The Queen appointed Liz Truss to the office in Balmoral in September, shortly before the monarch’s death.
Mr Sunak’s rise to power has prompted a sense of pride among Indians, with India’s leader Narendra Modi earlier offering him ‘special’ Diwali wishes as the ‘living bridge’ between Britain and India.
The new Prime Minister was born in Hampshire, south east England, to Indian migrant parents – a pharmacist mother and a GP father – and is married to Akshata Murthy, the daughter of billionaire Indian IT giant Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, with whom he has two young daughters Krishna and Anoushka.
The politician was welcomed to Buckingham Palace by Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the King and Queen Consort, the monarch’s Equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson, and Sir Edward Young, the late Queen’s former private secretary who is now joint principal private secretary to the King.
One of the final photos of the Queen was taken when Liz Truss traveled to Balmoral to be appointed Prime Minister
Theresa May meets with Elizabeth II before she is made Prime Minister in July 2016 following the EU referendum
The Queen invites David Cameron to form a government after he agreed to a coalition with the Liberal Democrats following the 2010 election
After warm handshakes from the royal aides, the Tory Party leader was ushered through the palace to the 1844 Room where he shared a laugh with the monarch before the audience began.
On a side table were sweet treats that are eaten to celebrate the festival – which was publicly marked in 2020 by then Chancellor Mr Sunak who laid out a traditional rangoli decoration and lit diyas – oil lamps – at the doorstep of his official office number 11 Downing Street.
The King and Prime Minister have met a number of times before, including a reception celebrating the British Asian Trust, established by Charles, and at a Prince’s Trust event in south London earlier this year where they visited a sports store.
Earlier, outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss tendered her resignation to the King and was later joined by her husband Hugh O’Leary and their daughters, Frances, 16, and Liberty, 13 for Ms Truss’ final audience as premier with the King.
Rishi Sunak was greeted by King Charles III’s equerry Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, Royal Regiment of Scotland at Buckingham Palace
Mr Sunak marked Diwali at Downing Street last year by lighting candles outside Number 11
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