King Charles told Sir Keir Starmer he ‘must be utterly exhausted’ when the two men met at Buckingham Palace today.
Two short video clips of the meeting were, unusually, released by royal officials because the men will not be able to meet for their first official weekly audience until next week as the Prime Minister will be at a crucial NATO summit in Washington.
Greeting the politician, the King said: ‘You must be utterly exhausted. And on your knees. ‘
‘Not much sleep,’ replied Sir Keir.
‘Quite a gruelling campaign by the sound of it,’ the King said warmly. ‘Anyway, you’re here.’
Inviting him to sit down with him the two men continue chatting.
A slightly shell-shocked Prime Minister says: ‘It’s a very quick change over..’
‘To say the least,’ chuckles His Majesty.
‘And having to get to grips with everything straight away, it must be quite exhausting.’
‘Yes,’ Sir Keir replied.
When the King greeted Sir Keir Starmer at Buckingham Palace yesterday he became his third Prime Minister in just 18 months on the throne.
Compare and contrast with the late Queen Elizabeth who in 70 years as monarch held weekly audiences with just 15.
But the royal rune readers are nothing if not acutely attuned to the political weathervane.
And a sneak peek at the seating plan for last month’s Japanese state banquet would have told you all you needed to know.
On the right-hand side of the horse shoe-shaped table was the current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, seated just far enough ‘above the salt’ as to befit his position (in medieval times the highly valuable seasoning was places in the middle of a dining table and the lord and his family always sat above it, with lesser guests below).
However on the left-hand side – naturally – opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer had been placed next to Sir Clive Alderton, the King’s long-serving Principle Private Secretary – aka Charles’ right-hand man, and arguably the most powerful person at Court.
Lady Starmer was, somewhat unusually given her reticence on the campaign trail, also present.
While palace officials were tight-lipped on the placing – any questions about it were neatly deflected – the message was unmistakable.
By all accounts the two men got on extremely well: Starmer is apparently an entertaining dining companion.
And it ensured that the ice had already been broken when Sir Clive, famed for his silky manners, warmly greeted the incoming prime minister in the iconic quadrangle at the sovereign’s official London residence just before noon.
Driven through the North Gate and across the forecourt before pulling up outside The King’s Door, Sir Keir’s car drove straight over the still-visible tyre marks of Rishi Sunak’s official vehicle, which had arrived just an hour earlier.
Such is the swiftness – and brutality – of the British electoral system, there hadn’t even been time to rake over the physical evidence of Mr Sunak’s historic defeat.
After tending his resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, following which he was joined with the King by his wife, Akshata Murty, Mr Sunak also had to suffer the ignominy of being ushered out of the Garden Entrance at the side of the palace, rather than the front door.
Meanwhile Sir Keir’s car door was opened by a footman, something that the labour leader – who was previously on record as being a republican who proposed the abolition of the monarchy – will now have to get used to.
Happily, in the very modern tradition, he now no longer identifies as such and has since described the Royal Family as a ‘beacon of hope for millions’ that maybe just needs to be ‘downsized’. Harry, Meghan and Prince Andrew have, hopefully, done that for him.
After an initial handshake with the King’s naval equerry, Commander William Thornton, Sir Clive notably greeted the politician by warmly clasping Sir Keir’s hands in his.
There was an equally ebullient welcome for Lady Victoria: ‘Hello, how are you. Really lovely to see you,’ enthused the courtier.
There was even a very British wave towards the suddenly sun-filled sky, and a little aside about the weather, before the couple were ushered in.
Inside His Majesty’s Private Audience Room, the sovereign sook hands with his soon-to-be PM, while Lady Starmer waited outside, having a cup of tea.
It is more unstuffy than the formal state rooms at Buckingham Palace, with mint green walls, rugs over the wooden floors and a smattering of antiques and photographs of members of other European royal families, with a few small vases of fresh flowers.
By convention, it is unlikely that we will ever know exactly what the two men discussed, although they are by birth and convention unlikely bedfellows.
However Queen Elizabeth’s prime ministers often spoke of how much they came to value their weekly chats and the wisdom of her many years as the country’s most experienced stateswoman.
While he may not have been sovereign for long, King Charles was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history and has bought his own wise counsel to the role.
During their private Audience the king invited Sir Keir to form a new Administration, which he agreed to, before they were escorted out by Sir Clive with another handshake – and even a kiss on each cheek for Lady Starmer.
Afterwards the Court Circular entry was issued recording that ‘the Prime Minister kissed hands on appointment’ with an unusual Editor’s Note: ‘This is not literally the case and simply denotes the type of Audience.’