King and Queen postpone engagements after surprise General Election decision
The royal family has postponed engagements “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign” after Rishi Sunak called a surprise summer General Election.
Buckingham Palace said the King and Queen sent their “sincere apologies” to those affected, after Charles agreed on Wednesday to the Prime Minister’s request to dissolve Parliament for an election – for the first time in his reign.
The King and Queen’s D-Day 80th anniversary appearances in Portsmouth and Normandy in June are expected to go ahead as scheduled, but the announcement of a July 4 vote disrupted other events in the carefully planned forthcoming royal diaries.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Following the Prime Minister’s statement this afternoon calling a General Election, the royal family will, in accordance with normal procedure, postpone engagements that may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign.
Heir to the throne the Prince of Wales also pulled out of a day of previously unannounced engagements for Thursday, later on Wednesday evening after Kensington Palace received updated guidance from Buckingham Palace.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution garden party on Thursday, marking the 200th anniversary of the lifesaving charity, will still go ahead, with thousands of guests set to descend on the Palace.
But the King’s public engagements for the rest of the week are now off – including a visit to Crewe on Friday to tour a Bentley factory and a community centre which supports people struggling financially, and another as yet-not publicly announced event that was due to happen elsewhere on Thursday.
It is understood the move is not a blanket approach to future events, and engagements will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
The date is also traditionally used to release the King’s Birthday Honours, co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office.
There is no confirmation as to whether the upcoming Japanese state visit, which was previously postponed due to the pandemic, will still happen in June.
Charles could be set for his third prime minister.
His first was Liz Truss – but her stint in charge was the shortest in British history – and the King welcomed Mr Sunak as his second PM just six weeks after acceding to the throne.
The Palace said Charles met Mr Sunak in person at the royal residence in London on Wednesday afternoon, following Charles’ Prince’s Trust Awards engagement.
They spent around 15 minutes together in the King’s private audience room, in place of their normal weekly meeting on Wednesday evening.
Mr Sunak is not expected to visit the King again on Wednesday.
Speaking at Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: “Earlier today I spoke with His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of Parliament.
“The King has granted this request and we will have a General Election on July 4.”
The King was hosting the winners of The Prince’s Trust awards at the Palace in the afternoon, where TV star Declan Donnelly joked that his celebrity partner Anthony McPartlin was missing from the reception because he was breastfeeding his newborn baby.
The King was also due to hold a Privy Council meeting afterwards, but Buckingham Palace has yet to confirm whether this went ahead.
In a statement, Downing Street said: “The Prime Minister has today asked His Majesty The King to proclaim the Dissolution of Parliament. His Majesty has been graciously pleased to signify that he will comply with this request.
“Parliament will be prorogued on Friday 24 May. Dissolution will take place on Thursday 30 May. The General Election will take place on Thursday 4 July.
Under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, which repealed the Fixed Terms Parliament Act 2011, the PM can seek the monarch’s permission to dissolve parliament and call a general election at a time of his choosing.
The date of the dissolution is set by a royal proclamation issued by the King, on the advice of his prime minister, and timed to allow for the polling day to occur on Mr Sunak’s chosen date.
The 2022 Act restored the practice whereby the monarch dissolves parliament at the request of the PM, without the need for a parliamentary vote on plans for an election.
It is typically a few days later to allow the Commons and Lords to finish any urgent business.
In previous times prior to 2011, the late Queen’s agreement to dissolve parliament meant she had to hold a meeting of the Privy Council to approve a royal proclamation which was signed and affixed with the Great Seal of the Realm.
For a July 4 election, this is May 30.
Dissolution is the official term for the end of a parliament.
The day after the General Election, it will be the King’s duty to invite the leader of the party that won the most seats in the House of Commons to become prime minister and to form a government – one of the few remaining personal prerogatives of the sovereign.
It was the first time the Queen, who had mobility issues, carried out the key duty at her Scottish retreat rather than at Buckingham Palace.