The Queen Returns To Windsor As She Reportedly Awaits An Extremely Important Call

Queen Elizabeth II recently left Buckingham Palace for a trip to Scotland. This was the first time she made a public appearance since her legendary Platinum Jubilee celebrations at the beginning of June (via People). She was staying at her official residence in the country, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where she met with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. While she was in the country, a major shakeup went down in the monarchy, where she learned Scotland was going to hold a vote to possibly separate from the United Kingdom.

Though it seemed the future of Scotland and Britain's relationship may be up in the air, the Queen made the most of her trip to the country (via Town and Country). She attended a parade with her son, Prince Charles, who is next in line for the throne. The visit went well despite the shakeup going on behind the scenes.

However, when she returned to Buckingham Palace, she found her country involved in even more drama than what she left in Scotland.

Queen Elizabeth II returned to England to find her country's political scene up in flames. Boris Johnson, the current Prime Minister, was facing a crisis within the British Parliament (via CNN). Several lawmakers had resigned from their positions, calling for Johnson to step down as the leader of the British government.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who resigned, made a statement against Johnson that read, "The public rightly expect the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously," adding, "I recognize this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning."

Government workers believe that Johnson is dishonest and impacting public life for the worse, and would like to see him removed from his position. It is unclear if Johnson has taken any of these complaints to heart.

As for Queen Elizabeth, she is returning to a complicated situation and awaiting an important call on the issues. Her role in the government is more ceremonial than anything else, but she does have the ability to force the prime minister to step down, (per AS).

According to Vernon Bogdanor, a professor of government at King's College London, the queen has a lot of power but should refrain from using it. "She's got quite wide legal powers but in a constitutional monarchy she shouldn't use them except in very extreme circumstances."