Theresa May: Seven notable things about the UK's next prime minister

Theresa May is the UK's leader-in-waiting, having seen off all her rivals in the Conservative Party. But how much do you know about her?

1) Double tragedy

Mrs May's father, the Reverend Hubert Brasier, died following a car crash in 1981. Her mother, Zaidee, who had multiple sclerosis, died a few months later, leaving her an orphan in her mid-20s.

2) Long service

She is the longest-serving home secretary of recent times. Only three previous incumbents have stayed in post longer - the third Duke of Portland, from 1794 to 1801, and Richard Cross, who did two stints in the 1870s and 1880s, and James Chuter Ede in the 1940s. Like Mrs May, Portland served as prime minister.

3) Diabetes

Mrs May was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes in 2013, meaning she has to inject herself with insulin at least twice a day. The diabetes charity DDRF says this could make her the first world leader publicly to acknowledge having the condition.

4) Shoes

Mrs May is known for her love of shoes (leopardskin being a favoured design). To commemorate her rise to prime minister, the Sun newspaper featured a mocked-up picture of one of her stilettos stamping on the heads of her male colleagues in the Conservative Party. Mrs May - the UK's second female leader, the other being Margaret Thatcher - chose a lifetime's subscription to Vogue magazine as her luxury item when she appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs programme.

5) Premier introduction

Mrs May, born Theresa Mary Brasier in October 1956, met her husband, Philip, at an Oxford University Conservatives disco in 1976. They were introduced by another future female prime minister, Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto (pictured above).

Read Theresa May's full life story here.

6) Missed the list

She didn't make the top 10 of the 2015 Woman's Hour Power List, with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon topping it. The theme that year was "influencers" - women who had an exceptional effect on people's lives. But Mrs May came second in the less specific 2013 version, beaten only by the Queen.

7) Fried delight

The prime minister-designate describes a bowl of crispy chips as her "guilty pleasure", although her hobbies also include walking in Wales and Switzerland. Her culinary tastes are by no means unique in the history of UK politics...

Some royals like them too...

As of course do many millions of British voters (starting long before the Brexit vote)...