King Charles Appoints New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace

Four days after Liz Truss resigned as Britain's prime minister, King Charles III named the new official who will be taking on the role at Buckingham Palace.

The king appointed Rishi Sunak as leader of the U.K. Parliament this Monday, after Sunak's success in the contest to lead the Conservative Party.

It was the first time Charles, 73, formally asked a new prime minister to accept the position.

"The King received in Audience The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak MP today and requested him to form a new Administration. Mr. Sunak accepted His Majesty's offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury," Buckingham Palace said in a statement after the meeting.

When Charles became king following his mother, Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, Liz Struss was just beginning her role as prime minister, but 45 days later, after losing the confidence of the majority Conservative Party, she resigned.

Charles has therefore already seen two prime ministers under his reign in just a few weeks. Queen Elizabeth famously saw 15—from Winston Churchill to Truss—in her more than 70 years on the throne. Truss also became the first U.K. prime minister since Winston Churchill to serve under two different monarchs, as she was appointed just two days before the queen's death.

Before meeting with Sunak Monday, the king held an audience with Struss and accepted her resignation. The Palace said she "tendered her resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which His Majesty was graciously please to accept."

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