Queen Elizabeth II does not want to see Scottish independence because the royals have ‘Scotland in their soul’, experts say Newsweek.
The Scottish National Party warned on Sunday that they would insist on a new referendum on leaving Britain if they win a majority in the May election.
And former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has Daily Telegraph this week that the pursuit of a new vote “threatens the end of the UK.”
The debate could quite possibly evoke intricate memories for the Queen, who was controversially asked by then-Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene during the last referendum in 2014, despite the convention for royal impartiality.
Ingrid Seward, author of The Queen’s Speech, tell Newsweek the monarch will be strongly opposed to the disintegration of the union.
Adrian Dennis / Getty
She said: “Of course the Queen does not want Scotland to be independent. She is all for unity. I think Scotland should be independent, not something she wants.”
Seward highlighted the 94-year-old monarch’s annual summer visits to Balmoral, her high estate.
She told Newsweek: “Balmoral is the place they all like the most. They really love Scotland. This is where they want to be.
‘Princess Margaret was born there. The queen mother lived there. They have so much of Scotland in their soul.
“Balmoral is the most popular place on earth under Prince Charles. Prince William and Prince Harry said they were never happier than when they shot birds out of the sky.
“They are very Scottish and that was historic.”
Boris Johnson is expected to visit Scotland later this week i reports, after voting in the Sunday Times proposed that a majority in the country would vote for independence.
And Nicola Sturgeon, Prime Minister of Scotland, told the BBC: ‘Polls now show that a majority of people in Scotland want independence.
“If the SNP were to win the Scottish election in a few months’ time on a proposal that he give the people the choice, what Democrat could stand in the way?”
However, when an independence referendum was held in 2014, Cameron said he had asked the Queen to intervene.
The monarch was asked about the vote by a royal spectator at Crathie Kirk Church, near Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.
In words interpreted as support for the rejection of independence, she replied, “Well, I hope people will think very carefully about the future.”
During a BBC documentary last year, Cameron said: ‘I remember the conversations I had with my private secretary, and he with the queen’s private secretary, and I had conversations with the queen’s private secretary and asked nothing which would be improper or unconstitutional. , but just an eyebrow lift, even you know a quarter inch, we thought it would make a difference. ‘
However, Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s former press secretary, said Newsweek the queen would probably not be dragged back into the referendum debate because coronavirus means public visits will be off the table.
Arbiter said: ‘It is Cameron who is dragging the royals. It is an interpretation by one person.
‘The other story was that the queen got involved. All she said, completely innocent, was that you had to be very careful with the voice.
“With Auld Lang Syne, he has given us words that have become a symbol of community around the world – and never before has the sense of commitment been more important than now.”
🎥 During virtual celebrations with @RobertBurnsFed, The Prince recited one of Burns’ most famous poems. pic.twitter.com/nRxvbLsvoN
– Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) 25 January 2021
“Will they be dragged in again? No. We will probably be in the same situation with the coronavirus in May so that the royals can not get carried away with innocent questions.”
Seward added: “I do not think they will support again. It is too soon and due to the state of the country at the moment it can really not be seen that they are interfering in anything. Their role is the support rather than interference. “
The debate comes amid a bid by the royal family to celebrate the Scottish celebration of Burns Night, although insiders have insisted Newsweek it is not related to the issue of independence.
Prince William and Kate Middleton sent a traditional Burns Night meal of ‘haggis, neeps and tatties’ to hospital workers at NHS Tayside in Dundee.
Prince William said: “We know that Burns Night is a special night for Scots around the world, a time to eat, drink and celebrate the life and work of Robert Burns.”
Chris Watt / Getty
The couple thanked staff for their work during the pandemic and Kate Middleton added: “We hope you enjoy it and look forward to better times together.”
Prince Charles recorded a video of himself reciting Robert Burns’ poem “Auld Lang Syne”, but eliminated the comment, which sparked a result of derogatory tweets from Scottish nationalists.
One wrote, “We are mysteriously not given the opportunity to respond to this foolish nonsense.”
Another wrote: ‘I do not want to live there, in a land that respects these righteous pillows.
“Free Scottish Republic!”
Award-winning author Petina Gappah wrote on Twitter: ‘Interesting both BoJo [Boris Johnson] and the Royal Family lyric about Burns Night tonight.
“Something tells me that someone somewhere is being haunted by the latest polls somehow.”