U.K. prime minister was told of queen’s passing 2 hours before the world
Britain’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss was told at 4:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. Eastern) on Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II had died. 10 Downing Street, the premier’s office, confirmed that the Cabinet Secretary had informed Truss of the monarch’s passing almost two hours before Buckingham Palace told the world.
It was Truss’ second day on the job. She was chosen to take over the prime minister’s office by members of her Conservative Party following the resignation of Boris Johnson, who was forced out by a succession of scandals.
The new prime minister was notified of Elizabeth’s passing about four hours after the palace issued an extremely rare statement about the queen’s health, saying doctors were “concerned,” and had put her under medical supervision at her Scotland home, Balmoral Castle. The announcement caused immediate concern, and as every senior member of the royal family rushed to Balmoral to be by her side, it quickly became clear that the situation was serious.
