Liz Truss has become the news British prime minister after Queen Elizabeth II formally asked her to form a government.
Truss, the hawkish former foreign secretary, flew to Scotland on Tuesday for an audience with the queen at Balmoral Castle, one of the royal residences.
Outgoing PM Boris Johnson, on a separate flight for security reasons, offered his resignation — announced in July — which the monarch accepted.
The queen would normally meet prospective PMs at Buckingham Palace in London, but after her recent mobility issues it was decided that she should not return to the capital for the occasion.
On Monday, Truss was announced the winner of the governing Conservative Party leadership election after beating former chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak by some 81,000 votes to 60,000.
Truss is the 15th PM to serve during her namesake's 70-year reign, and the third woman to hold the office.