- .Palace aides concerned the monarch will face a constitutional crisis after poll
- .Queen may appoint an Australian-style 'governor general' to rule in her name
- .Experts fear independence could throw up divided loyalties for the Queen
- .In 1977 the Queen said: 'I was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom'
The growing prospect of Scotland voting to leave the United Kingdom has sparked a ‘great deal of concern’ in Buckingham Palace, sources close to the Queen have revealed.
Senior palace aides are increasingly concerned that the Queen will be thrown into the centre of a constitutional crisis in the event of a ‘Yes’ vote on September 18.
Experts have suggested she may be forced to appoint an Australian-style ‘governor general’ to rule in her name.
Prime Minister David Cameron is in Balmoral, Aberdeenshire, with the Queen today and is expected to hold talks over the crisis. Mr Cameron has travelled alone without his wife Samantha.
The Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles attended the Scottish Highland Games yesterday
The Queen has not intervened in the debate on independence, but has previously publicly praised the union.
In a speech she gave to MPs on her Silver Jubilee in 1977 she said: ‘I number kings and queens of England and of Scotland, and princes of Wales among my ancestors and so I can readily understand these aspirations.
‘But I cannot forget that I was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
‘Perhaps this jubilee is a time to remind ourselves of the benefits which union has conferred, at home and in our international dealings, on the inhabitants of all parts of this United Kingdom.’
Constitutional experts fear independence could throw up divided loyalties for the Queen if there was a clash between Scotland and the rump-UK in the future.
One solution would be to appoint a ‘governor general’ in Edinburgh to act in the Queen’s name. This could lead Scotland to eventually ditching the Royal family and becoming a republic within the European Union, experts have claimed.
Buckingham Palace aides told the Sunday Times that the Queen was now so concerned about the prospect of independence that she has asked for daily updates on the progress of the campaign.
Palace officials say the Queen is neutral over the referendum, a senior royal source claimed: ‘The Queen is a unionist... There is now a great deal of concern.’
The source added: ‘If there is a ‘yes’ vote, that puts us into uncharted territory constitutionally. Nothing is certain. Her being Queen of Scotland is not a given.’
The 'Yes' to independence campaign has seen a surge in support over the past four weeks
But an independent Scotland could deny Labour victory in the next election, according to the pollsters YouGov
The Queen will remain the head of state for an independent Scotland, the First Minister Alex Salmond has insisted
WHO IS AUSTRALIA'S GOVERNOR-GENERAL AND WHAT DOES HE DO?
Sir Peter Cosgrove was sworn in as Australia’s twenty sixth Governor-General in March this year.
The retired senior army officer represents the Queen in Australia and is the Commander-in-Chief of the country’s Defence Force.
In the day-to-day running of the country the Governor-General acts as the country’s head of state and is appointed by The Queen on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister.
Like the Queen in the UK, the Governor-General has the power to appoint a Prime Minister if an election has resulted in a ‘hung parliament’.
He also has the power to dismiss a Prime Minister where he or she has lost the confidence of the Parliament.
Scottish Nationalist leader Alex Salmond has insisted that the Queen will remain head of state in an independent Scotland.
But his party is split on the issue. The SNP’s John Mason has called for a referendum to replace the monarch as head of state in Scotland after the Queen steps down or dies.
He said: ‘The present queen is very popular, but the mood of society may change when she leaves the throne.’
Scotland Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has also raised the prospect this year of a referendum on the Royals. He said it was ‘for the people of Scotland to decide’ on the Queen’s role.
However, Robert Blackburn, professor of constitutional law at King’s College London, said the Queen may need to change her role if the UK split.
He said: ‘Politically, the Queen could find herself in difficulties if she received contradictory advice on her royal duties or public utterances on matters of common interest, particularly in foreign or diplomatic matters, where the British and Scottish governments might happen to be at loggerheads.
‘One solution would be to establish an office of governor-general in Edinburgh to act in the Queen’s name.’
Stephen Haseler, director of the Global Policy Institute in London, added: ‘Alex Salmond has overcome the issue of the monarchy initially by saying “Look, we will keep the Queen”.'
But Mr Haseler added: 'But of course the Queen won’t be around for very long, and my absolute conviction is that once the Queen goes the Scots won’t wear Prince Charles, and they will go for a republican system within the European Union.’
The row over the future of the monarchy comes after the Chancellor George Osborne revealed sweeping new powers will be given to Scotland if they reject independence in 11 days.
Mr Osborne's announcement that new powers will be handed to Scotland if it rejects independence mirrors a similar last-ditch offer made by the Canadian government in 1995 when Quebec appeared to be on the verge of voting for independence.
Speaking on the BBC’s Marr show this morning, Mr Osborne said the new package of measures would allow voters to have the ‘best of both worlds’.
He said: ‘It’s clear that Scotland wants more control over the decisions that affect Scotland.
‘You will see in the next few days a plan of action to give more powers to Scotland: more tax powers more spending powers, more plans and powers over the welfare state.
‘And that will be put into effect. The moment there is a no vote in the referendum the clock will be ticking for delivering those powers and then Scotland will have the best of both worlds – they will both avoid the risks of separation but have more control over their own destiny, which is where I think many Scots want to be.
‘We’ve been discussing with the other main political parties in Westminster – with the Labour party, with the liberal democrats. We are working on that plan of action – we will set it out in the next few days.
‘People should know, if they vote no they are voting for more devolution, more powers for Scotland without the risks of separation, without the uncertainties of separation.
‘Much greater fiscal autonomy, much greater power to control tax rates, more control over public expenditure, more control over welfare rates, and a host of other changes – all of which I think satisfy a Scottish demand that decisions that affect Scotland are taken in Scotland without the risks of separation. I think that is the best of both worlds.’
Chancellor George Osborne, appearing on the 'Andrew Marr Show' on the BBC this morning, said Scotland would get new powers if it rejected independence
Gordon Brown said the new powers Scotland will get could prove decisive in convincing voters to reject independence.
He said: "I think when people see the full scale of the powers the Scottish Parliament will have, and our ability to do things while retaining the benefits of the UK, including the currency, I think they are going to decide on the extended powers of the Scottish Parliament within the UK."
Mr Brown, who was campaigning with his wife Sarah in Kirkcaldy, added:
"I hope the other parties will support what is a Labour proposal, a Labour initiative, so that these powers are guaranteed, and so a No vote doesn't mean nothing happens, a No vote means we move quickly to the delivery of extra powers."
But Mr Salmond described the three main Westminster parties’ promise to set out a package of new powers for the Scottish Parliament as a “panicky last-minute measure” ahead of the independence referendum.
“Alistair Darling, if you remember just a week ago or so, couldn’t name one single job-creating power that was going to come to the Scottish parliament if we made the mistake of voting No. Now we’re expected to believe that secretly, behind the scenes, after hundreds of thousands of people have already voted, there is a radical new deal on the constitution that is agreed by the Westminster parties. Well, there is a radical new deal on the constitution – it’s called independence.
'This is a panicky last-minute measure because the Yes campaign is winning on the ground and the evidence for that is overwhelming – not just Alistair Darling couldn’t mention a single power last week, but also Alistair Carmichael wasn’t even prepared to confirm what George Osborne had said this morning about this mythical agreement.
'I’ve no doubt that they’ll cobble something together because, having failed to scare the Scottish people, obviously the next step is to try and bribe us.'
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