Liz Truss pays homage to Queen Elizabeth II: 'We still miss her'

Dorothy Reddin
Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:47:45 +0000

Liz Truss paid homage to Queen Elizabeth II with an iconic picture on social media.

The late monarch would have celebrated her 100th birthday today, having been born on April 21, 2026.

Two days before she died in 2022, the late Queen met then-Prime Minister Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle for their first official audience on September 6.

Ms Truss was invited to become Prime Minister and form a new Government at the Scottish castle after winning the Conservative leadership election as a result of Boris Johnson's resignation.

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Queen Elizabeth famously broke with the tradition of meeting the new Prime Minister at Buckingham Palace for the audience.

Buckingham Palace explained at the time that the late monarch needed to remain at Balmoral Castle due to mobility issues.

To honour the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II, Ms Truss wrote on X today: "On the 100th anniversary of her birth, we still miss her."

Accompanying the statement was a photograph of the former Prime Minister shaking hands with the late monarch on September 6, 2022.

Ms Truss became the 15th and last Prime Minister appointed by the monarch.

Their meeting at Balmoral Castle is considered a poignant moment in British history, capturing the Queen's final public act of duty despite her declining health.

The official photograph of Ms Truss shaking hands with Elizabeth II was the last photo taken of the late Queen before she died.

Ms Truss described the Queen as the "rock on which modern Britain was built" and "the spirit of Britain" in her tribute following her death.

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Despite appearing frail, Ms Truss said at the time that the Queen was "mentally alert" and "upbeat" during their meeting, reassuring her that they would "meet again soon".

The former Prime Minister was responsible for leading the Government during the initial mourning period and managing the transition to King Charles III.

However, following the Queen's death, Ms Truss served a mere 49-day tenure, making her the shortest-serving Prime Minister in UK history.

Ms Truss's love of the monarchy marks a drastic U-turn from her youth in the 1990s as a prominent member of the Liberal Democrats.

As a 19-year-old student at the University of Oxford, Truss gave a speech in Brighton at the 1994 Liberal Democrat Conference supporting a motion to abolish the monarchy.

She famously stated: "We do not believe people are born to rule".

Ms Truss joined the Conservative Party in 1996 and has since renounced her republican views, describing them as a "mistake" made during her youth.

During her 2022 leadership campaign, she joked that while others had "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll," she had the Liberal Democrats.