Kissing hands

{{Short description|Constitutional term for the formal installation of British government ministers}} {{about|the UK constitutional term|the more general ritual of greeting and respect|Hand-kissing{{!}}{{nowr|Hand-kissing}}}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Use British English|date=January 2026}} {{more citations needed|date=May 2014}}

"To '''kiss hands'''" is a constitutional term used in the United{{nbsp}}Kingdom to refer to the formal installation of the prime{{nbsp}}minister or other {{nowr|Crown-appointed}} government ministers to their office.<ref name=PMAppoint-A>Torrance, David. ''How Is a Prime Minister Appointed?'' House of Commons Library, 20 Oct. 2022, https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/how-is-a-prime-minister-appointed/.</ref><ref name=PMAppoint-B>Torrance, David. ''The Crown and the Constitution''. House of Commons Library, 14 Nov. 2023, https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8885/CBP-8885.pdf. Page 39/70. Accessed 27 May 2024.</ref>

==Overview== In the past, the term referred to the requirement that the {{nowr|office-holder}} actually kiss the hands of the{{nbsp}}monarch 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, {{nowr|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 {{nowr|office-holder}}. Simply being received by the monarch is taken to validate the selection, with this meeting being described in the {{nowr|Court Circular}} as "kissing hands". The invitation issued to a party{{nbsp}}leader to form a government is sometimes still described as "an{{nbsp}}invitation to kiss{{nbsp}}hands". The metaphorical kissing of hands (i.e., the{{nbsp}}appointment) does not legally take place until the subsequent meeting of the Privy{{nbsp}}Council, when the new minister is formally appointed as a member of the Council.<ref>Alan Cowell, [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/world/europe/27cnd-queen.html ‘The Queen’ Got It Wrong: No Hands Are Kissed], ''The New York Times'', 27 June 2007; the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100414023100/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandGovernment/QueenandPrimeMinister.aspx royal web page] mentioned in the article (part of the official website of the British Monarchy) was archived from [http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandGovernment/QueenandPrimeMinister.aspx the original] at 14 April 2010.</ref>

When appointing a Secretary{{nbsp}}of State (the top rank in the UK{{nbsp}}government), 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 Privy{{nbsp}}Seal or the {{nowr|Lord Chancellor}}, who is also keeper of the {{nowr|Great Seal of}} the United{{nbsp}}Kingdom.

==History== [[File:H H Asquith 1908 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|175px|alt=Black-and-white photo of H. H. Asquith|{{nowr|H. H. Asquith}}, seen here in{{nbsp}}1908, was called out of the country to kiss hands with King Edward{{nbsp}}VII.]]

The ceremony usually takes place in {{nowr|Buckingham Palace}}, in the Audience{{nbsp}}Room, but it has been known to happen in {{nowr|Windsor Castle}} or {{nowr|Balmoral Castle}}. More unusually, in April{{nbsp}}1908, {{nowr|Edward VII}} summoned {{nowr|H. H. Asquith}} out of the country to the {{langr|fr|Hôtel{{nbsp}}du Palais|cat=no}}, {{langr|fr|Biarritz}}, France, where the{{nbsp}}King was on holiday at the time.

In his autobiography, {{nowr|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 [the{{nbsp}}hands] gently with your lips". When he was ushered into the room to meet the{{nbsp}}Queen, Blair tripped on a piece of carpet and fell onto the{{nbsp}}Queen's hands.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Strong |first=Gemma |date=September 7, 2022 |title=What really happened inside the Queen's meeting with Liz Truss |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/20220907150294/the-queen-what-happened-inside-meeting-liz-truss-balmoral |magazine=Hello Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 September 2013 |title=Ages at the Audience |url=https://westernindependent.blogspot.com/2013/09/ages-at-audience.html}}</ref>

Due to the failing health of Elizabeth{{nbsp}}II, the 2022 kissing{{nbsp}}hands ceremony of {{nowr|Liz Truss}} took place at Balmoral, where the ailing Queen was spending her final days, marking the only time in her {{nowr|70-year}} reign that the ceremony did not take place at Buckingham{{nbsp}}Palace. It was the Queen's last official{{nbsp}}act before her{{nbsp}}death two{{nbsp}}days later.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bubola |first=Emma |date=6 September 2022 |title=The queen will appoint the new prime minister at Balmoral Castle in Scotland |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/world/europe/liz-truss-queen-elizabeth-balmoral.html |access-date=7 September 2022 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=8 September 2022 |title=Queen Elizabeth II has died, Buckingham Palace announces |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61585886 |access-date=8 September 2022}}</ref> This was the first time the ceremony took place at Balmoral since{{nbsp}}1885, when Lord{{nbsp}}Salisbury began his first stint as prime minister.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 September 2022 |title=The Day Of The Two Prime Ministers | website=The Corporate Law Journal |url=https://www.thecorporatelawjournal.com/politics/the-day-of-the-two-prime-ministers}}</ref>

==See also== * {{anl|Audience (meeting)#United Kingdom|{{nowr|Audience (meeting) §}} United{{nbsp}}Kingdom}} * {{anl|Constitution of the United Kingdom|Constitution of the United{{nbsp}}Kingdom}} * {{anl|Kissing the ring|quote=yes}} * {{anl|Shaking hands and kissing babies|Shaking hands and kissing{{nbsp}}babies|quote=yes}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite encyclopedia | date = 4 July 2024 | first = David | last = Torrance | url = https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/how-is-a-prime-minister-appointed/ | title = How is a Prime Minister appointed? | encyclopedia = UK House of Commons Library }} * {{cite book | title = Ministers of the Crown | first = Rodney | last = Brazier | author-link = Rodney Brazier | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1997 | isbn = 978-0-19-825988-6 | pages = 28, 81–85 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=O0_uGtkJXBYC }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kissing Hands}} Category:British Prime Minister's Office Category:Constitution of the United Kingdom Category:State ritual and ceremonies Category:Monarchy of the United Kingdom Category:Kissing Category:Buckingham Palace Category:Ceremonies in the United Kingdom Category:Westminster system Category:Political metaphors Category:Metaphors referring to body parts