PM’s formal resignation may take place at Balmoral

BORIS JOHNSON is likely to tender his resignation to the Queen at Balmoral, becoming the first Prime Minister to do so in Scotland, it is understood.

He has confirmed that he will formally resign on Sept 6, when the monarch will be on her annual summer break at the Aberdeenshire castle.

She does not traditionally return to London until early October.

The proposed timeline for appointing Mr Johnson’s successor raised the possibility that the Queen, 96, might have been forced to interrupt her holidays in order to travel back to Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace for the brief meeting.

But a No10 spokesman dismissed the suggestion, saying: “I am sure we will work something out. He would not be averse to going up to Scotland.”

The move would make him the first of the Queen’s 14 prime ministers to have their resignation audience at Balmoral. Each of the others, from Winston Churchill to Theresa May, has tended their resignation at Buckingham Palace.

Tradition dictates that after Mr Johnson resigns, the Queen will say who she has invited to become Prime Minister to replace him. That person would then go to meet the Queen to accept the invitation, the appointment being one of the few remaining personal prerogatives of the sovereign.

The Queen travels to her private home in the Scottish Highlands at the beginning of August for her annual break.

Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie were previously expected to be invited to join her at the beginning of September for the annual Braemar Games, which will take place this year for the first time since 2019. If so, the visit would ensure that he is in situ to resign but that his

‘I am sure he will work something out. He would not be averse to going up to Scotland’

successor would have to make the trip to Scotland to be formally invited to form a government.

Last year marked the first summer Her Majesty spent at Balmoral without her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, by her side. Most members of the Royal family traditionally visit for holidays and keep her busy with picnics, horse riding, walks and barbecues.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Cambridges, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are all expected to join her in the coming weeks.

Buckingham Palace declined comment.