LIZ Truss has revealed the late Queen’s final words to her in their first and only official meeting.
Queen Elizabeth is said to have told the then-prime minister: “I’ll see you next week” as they met at Balmoral on September 6, 2022, just two days before the monarch’s death.
Some 15 prime ministers led the country during Elizabeth’s reign, with Truss being the last of them.
The late Queen’s meeting with Truss was her final official engagement, after the South West Norfolk MP was made leader of the Conservative Party.
The short-lived prime minister oversaw the period of national mourning which followed the monarch’s death, before she resigned after just seven weeks in the job amid the economic chaos caused by her mini-budget.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper’s Never Mind the Ballots programme, the ex-prime minister also revealed some of what she discussed with the Queen during their meeting.
READ MORE: Gordon Brown admits independence campaign is 'greater than' Unionism
“She was an extremely wise woman and so, so on the ball,” Truss said.
She added: “She talked a lot about all of the issues that were going on, all of the issues in the PM’s inbox.”
Truss, who is touring the media ahead of the publication of her book Ten Years To Save The West, revealed she thought: “Why me, why now?” when she learned the Queen had died just two days into her premiership.
She said she went into “a state of shock” when told of Elizabeth’s death in 2022 in an extract of her book published on Mail+.
Recounting her audience with the Queen, Truss said there “simply wasn’t any sense that the end would come as quickly as it did”.
Truss, whose tenure in Downing Street lasted just 49 days after her mini-budget triggered economic turmoil, also revealed the late Queen told her to “pace yourself”.
“Maybe I should have listened,” the former Tory leader said.
Truss’s government later unveiled a radical tax-cutting policy agenda that tanked the pound and saw her ejected from office after just 49 days, making her Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel