Liz Truss, the former UK Prime Minister, has revealed that she was in a state of shock when she was told of Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022. In an excerpt from her memoir, Ten Years to Save the West, Truss said that she thought “why me, why now?” upon hearing the news. Truss, who spent only 49 days in office, was appointed by the Queen only two days before her death, during their final meeting. The former prime minister also shared how the Queen advised her to “pace yourself,” a piece of advice that Truss now wishes she had followed.
Truss recounted how the Queen and she had discussed politics for about 20 minutes, and the Queen had shown no discomfort throughout their conversation. Truss has expressed her admiration for the Queen’s “sharp and witty” nature and said the Queen seemed to be “completely attuned to everything that was happening” in politics. Despite knowing that the Queen was elderly, Truss said, “there simply wasn’t any sense that the end would come as quickly as it did.”
The Queen was the UK’s longest-reigning monarch and passed away at the age of 96, leaving behind a legacy that will not soon be forgotten. Truss said that the “machine kicked into action” once they heard that the Queen would not be making an appearance to swear in new ministers. Truss’s black mourning dress was fetched, Buckingham Palace was contacted, and frantic phone calls were made. Then, on Thursday, they were informed that the Queen had died peacefully. Truss recalls thinking that being told that the Queen had passed on only her second day as prime minister “felt utterly unreal.”
Truss has recently stepped down as Prime Minister after her mini-budget’s economic troubles caused the pound to plummet. Despite her short time in power, Truss’s memoir provides an intriguing insight into the Queen’s final moments as well as Truss’s own experience as Prime Minister
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More