Queen faces gruelling 1300km journey amid push for next Prime Minister

The race for a new British Prime Minister has left the 96-year-old Monarch with a difficult choice Royal sources worry could place her health at risk.

The Queen faces a gruelling 1300 kilometre round trip from Scotland to grant a 10-minute “kissing hands” audience with the next British Prime Minister.

After having returned from a recent tour of Scotland, the 96-year-old Monarch was due to return to the country to rest at her Balmoral retreat over the summer holiday.

But scheduling of the new leadership decision on September 5 means she’ll have to travel at least 650 km to meet the new Prime Minister, and possibly double if she is to return after the 10-minute audience.

“There seems to have been no thought given to the Queen’s circumstances,’ a royal source told The Daily Mail.

The September holiday for the Braemar Gathering is one of the Queen’s favourite, having long attended with Prince Philip to watch the Highland Games.

“Do the politicians seriously expect a 96-year-old woman to make an 800-mile (1300km) round trip for a ten‑minute audience?”

As is tradition, Her Majesty grants an audience to the incoming leader to them to become new Prime Minister and form a Government.

The Queen grants an audience to Boris Johnson where she invited him to become Prime Minister and form a new government. Picture: Getty Images

The new Prime Minister then goes directly to Downing Street to complete the process.

While the new Prime Minister could travel to Scotland for the audience, sources added it’s more likely the Queen would return to avoid a delay in the formation of a new government,

The last time the changeover was held was in 2019, when she asked Boris Johnson to form a new government following the ouster of Teresa May.

The potential schedule change comes after the queen returned to royal duties at Windsor Castle amid revelations Prince Harry would make a major speech in New York.

After her gruelling tour of Scotland, the 96-year-old was joined by Prince Charles to award the George Cross to the National Health Service for its work during the Covid pandemic.

The monarch met NHS leaders and healthcare workers at the event, joking with May Parsons, the nurse who delivered the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials to Maggie Keenan on December 8, 2020.

The Queen presents the George Cross to NHS England CEO Amanda Pritchard, right, and May Parsons, Modern Matron at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. Picture: AFP

When told about the nurse’s historic first, the Queen quipped: “You’re still alive?”

The nurse told the Queen: “We’re terribly, terribly proud of the vaccination rollout, it was so successful.”

The Queen replied: “Yes it was amazing.”

It comes after the United Nations revealed Prince Harry would be joined by Meghan for their first public appearance since the Platinum Jubilee.

The Queen presents the George Cross to Judith Paget, Chief Executive NHS Wales and Dr Ami Jones. Picture: AFP

The Queen presents the George Cross to Peter May and Sister Joanna Hogg. Picture: AFP

The Queen presents the George Cross to Caroline Lamb and Ms Eleanor Grant. Picture: AFP

The Queen, Prince Charles, and medal recipients. Picture: AFP

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will appear before an informal General Assembly gathering in New York as part of Nelson Mandela Day next week, according to a UN spokesman.

“The South African Mission has confirmed the participation of the Duke and the Duchess at Monday’s commemoration,” the spokesman told The Daily Mail.

The speech, reported to touch on climate change and world hunger, would be the second appearance at the UN General Assembly after their visit in September 2021.

While there was no speech made last year, royal expert Neil Sean said the couple brought their own media to film a “hidden New York” teaser show for Netflix during the tour, with interviews meeting the mayor and reading to children.

“But really it wasn’t enough to make a program,” he said on his YouTube channel. “This apparently was a taster teaser to see exactly how things could be developed if they wish to go down that route.”

“Harry and Meghan are very hopeful that somebody somewhere would like to see exactly the behind-the-scenes of Global Citizen and what happened in New York.

“Given the fact Netflix passed on Pearl, I do hope it won’t be three times lucky for the ex-royals.”

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and former New York mayor Bill De Blasio. Picture: Getty Images

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry during a visit to New York. Picture: Gotham/GC Images

It is unclear whether the couple will be accompanied by cameras on their trip next week. Last year, the royals spoke to Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.

They later appeared together at the Global Citizen Live concert in New York’s Central Park.

Nelson Mandela Day was launched in 2009, with the 2022 event highlighting food security and climate change, with the tagline: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”.

Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, famously met Mandela in South Africa in March 1997, just five months before she died in a car crash in Paris.

During his 2015 tour of South Africa, Harry visited the cell where Mandela was imprisoned before the fall of apartheid. He has also met Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, and granddaughter, Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela.

Princess Diana met President Nelson Mandela in March 1997 while on a visit to Cape Town, five months before her death

Meghan arrives at the British High Commissioner residency in Johannesburg in 2019 to meet with Graca Machel, widow of former Nelson Mandela. Picture: AFP

Originally published as Queen faces gruelling 1300km journey amid push for next Prime Minister