For the long tribute paid to him in Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, on Monday 12 September – the procession in the old town, the mass in the church of Saint-Gilles then the start of the funeral wake in this high place of Scottish Presbyterianism – the late Queen Elizabeth II was first “Elizabeth Queen of Scots”, the Queen of Scots, before being that of the United Kingdom. It is the venerable crown of Scotland, in gold, ermine and precious stones, used during the coronations of the ancient kings of Scotland and dating from the middle of the XVIe century, which was placed on his coffin during the ceremonies.
Because relations between the Scots and the British monarchy are more complex than it seems. Admittedly, the cause of independence has steadily garnered support in recent years – around half of Scots want a second independence referendum (after that of 2014 which saw the victory of remaining in the Union) and the Scottish National Party (SNP), the main pro-independence party, has been running the Scottish government for fifteen years now. However, if it is more vigorous than in England, the republican movement remains in the minority, with 36% to 47% of those questioned pronouncing themselves in favor of an elected head of state, according to three polls published this year (carried out by the Omnisis and British Future institutes).
“The SNP has never been a Republican party, explains James Mitchell, a political scientist at the University of Edinburgh. It does not denounce the union of the crowns of 1603, which saw the unification of the two kingdoms of England and Scotland when the Scottish king James Stuart acceded to the throne of England [sous le nom de Jacques Ier]. On the other hand, the party opposes the Acts of Union of 1707, ratifying the Union between the Scottish and English states [avec pour conséquence la disparition du Parlement écossais au profit de celui de Grande-Bretagne, situé au palais de Westminster]. The SNP wants the Scottish Parliament to regain all its powers. »
If Scotland were to become independent again, the SNP would like it to retain the British monarch as head of state, on the model of Australia, Canada, or twelve other members of the Commonwealth.
Scottish National Party support for the monarchy
“The SNP has known republican currents within it, and still has opponents of the monarchy, but not very influential. There was, for example, the 1979 Group, founded in 1979, which ended up being expelled from the party. One of its most active members was Alex Salmond, who later became a monarchist and First Minister – SNP – of the Scottish Government [entre 2007 et 2014] », nuance Michael Keating, political scientist at the University of Aberdeen.
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