Kissing hands

"To kiss hands" is a constitutional term used in the UnitedKingdom to refer to the formal installation of the primeminister or other Crown-appointed government ministers to their office.

Overview

In the past, the term referred to the requirement that the office-holder actually kiss the hands of themonarch as a symbol of personal fealty and loyalty, that fealty and loyalty being a requirement to serve in the King's or Queen's government.

The term continues in use as a metaphor; 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 the Court Circular as "kissing hands". The invitation issued to a partyleader to form a government is sometimes still described as "aninvitation to kisshands". The metaphorical kissing of hands (i.e., theappointment) does not legally take place until the subsequent meeting of the PrivyCouncil, when the new minister is formally appointed as a member of the Council.

When appointing a Secretaryof State (the top rank in the UKgovernment), 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 the Lord PrivySeal or the Lord Chancellor, who is also keeper of the Great Seal of the UnitedKingdom.

History

The ceremony usually takes place in Buckingham Palace, in the AudienceRoom, but it has been known to happen in Windsor Castle or Balmoral Castle. More unusually, in April1908, Edward VII summoned H. H. Asquith out of the country to the Hôteldu Palais, Biarritz, France, where theKing was on holiday at the time.

In his autobiography, Tony Blair recalled being confused by the fact that the ceremony did not involve literally kissing Queen Elizabeth II's hands, being instead told to "brush them [thehands] gently with your lips". When he was ushered into the room to meet theQueen, Blair tripped on a piece of carpet and fell onto theQueen's hands.

Due to the failing health of ElizabethII, the 2022 kissinghands ceremony of Liz Truss took place at Balmoral, where the ailing Queen was spending her final days, marking the only time in her 70-year reign that the ceremony did not take place at BuckinghamPalace. It was the Queen's last officialact before herdeath twodays later. This was the first time the ceremony took place at Balmoral since1885, when LordSalisbury began his first stint as prime minister.

See also

• Audience (meeting) § UnitedKingdom – Formal meeting between a head of state and another person
• Constitution of the UnitedKingdom – Uncodified national constitution
• "Kissing the ring" – Form of respectful gesturePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• "Shaking hands and kissingbabies" – Political campaigning practicePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

Further reading

• Torrance, David (4 July 2024). . UK House of Commons Library.
• Brazier, Rodney (1997). . Oxford University Press. pp. 28, 81–85. ISBN 978-0-19-825988-6.