Kissing hands
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(May 2014) |
Tokiss handsis a constitutional term used in the United Kingdom to refer to the formal installation of theprime ministeror otherCrown-appointedgovernment ministersto their office.[1][2]
Overview
[edit]In the past, the term referred to the requirement that the office-holder actually kiss the hands of themonarchas a symbol of personal fealty and loyalty, that fealty and loyalty being a requirement to serve in the King's or Queen's government.
In modern times, office-holders are not expected to physically kiss the hands of the monarch before assuming the role, neither at this ceremony nor at any other point in the process of installing a new office-holder. Simply being received by the monarch is taken to validate the selection, with this meeting being described in theCourt Circularas "kissing hands". The invitation issued to a party leader to form a government is sometimes still described as "an invitation to kiss hands". The metaphorical kissing of hands (i.e. the appointment) does not legally take place until the subsequent meeting of thePrivy Council,when the new minister is formally appointed as a member of the Council.[3]
When appointing aSecretary of State(the top rank in theUK government), the protocol also involves the delivery by the King or Queen of the seals of office into the hands of the appointee. This is also valid for other officers who are keepers of seals, such as theLord Privy Sealor theLord Chancellor,who is also keeper of theGreat Sealof the United Kingdom.
History
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/H_H_Asquith_1908_%28cropped%29.jpg/175px-H_H_Asquith_1908_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The ceremony usually takes place inBuckingham Palace,but it has been known to happen inWindsor CastleorBalmoral Castle.More unusually, in April 1908,Edward VIIsummonedH. H. Asquithout of the country to theHôtel du Palais,Biarritz,France, where the King was on holiday at the time.
In his autobiography,Tony Blairrecalled being confused by the fact that the ceremony did not involve literally kissing QueenElizabeth II's hands, being instead told to "brush them [the hands] gently with your lips". When he was ushered into the room to meet the Queen, Blair tripped on a piece of carpet and fell onto the Queen's hands.[4][5]
Due to the failing health of Elizabeth II, the 2022 kissing hands ceremony ofLiz Trusstook place at Balmoral, where the Queen was spending the summer, marking the only time in her 70-year reign that the ceremony did not take place at Buckingham Palace. It was the Queen's last official act beforeher deathtwo days later.[6][7]This was the first time the ceremony took place at Balmoral since 1885, whenLord Salisburybegan his first stint as prime minister.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Torrance, David.How Is a Prime Minister Appointed?House of Commons Library, 20 Oct. 2022,https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/how-is-a-prime-minister-appointed/.
- ^Torrance, David.The Crown and the Constitution.House of Commons Library, 14 Nov. 2023,https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8885/CBP-8885.pdf.Page 39/70. Accessed 27 May 2024.
- ^Alan Cowell,‘The Queen’ Got It Wrong: No Hands Are Kissed,The New York Times,27 June 2007; theroyal web pagementioned in the article (part of the official website of the British Monarchy) was archived fromthe originalat 14 April 2010.
- ^Strong, Gemma (7 September 2022)."What really happened inside the Queen's meeting with Liz Truss".Hello Magazine.
- ^"Ages at the Audience".1 September 2013.
- ^Bubola, Emma (6 September 2022)."The queen will appoint the new prime minister at Balmoral Castle in Scotland".The New York Times.Retrieved7 September2022.
- ^"Queen Elizabeth II has died, Buckingham Palace announces".BBC News.8 September 2022.Retrieved8 September2022.
- ^"The Day Of The Two Prime Ministers] from The Corporate Law Journal".6 September 2022.
Further reading
[edit]- How is a Prime Minister appointed?from theHouse of Commons Library.
- Rodney Brazier(1997).Ministers of the Crown.Oxford University Press. pp. 28, 81–85.ISBN0-19-825988-3.