Former Home Secretary Theresa May was appointed as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II, after their meeting in the Buckingham Palace.

Former PM David Cameron offered his resignation to the queen a short while ago.

Theresa May was selected as the Conservative Party leader two days ago, which led to Cameron's decision to step aside.

Cameron had earlier announced his resignation following the defeat at the Brexit vote, but was not expected to resign until a new Conservative Party leader was elected in September. However, with the withdrawal of Andrea Leadsom from the party leadership race, May became the automatic choice for the position on Monday. This led to Cameron's decision to step aside at once.

Theresa May is expected to name her Cabinet soon. It is widely expected that it will have a large number of women.

Margret Thatcher, also from the Conservative Party, was the first female PM of the UK. She held office from 1979 to 1990 and was known as the "Iron Lady."