New book details the monarch’s carefully chosen words before the 2014 referendum
Prince William reportedly asked his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, to step in during the tense days leading up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, according to a new book.
The late Queen, who reigned for more than 70 years until her death at the age of 96, made a rare public remark just days before the vote. Speaking to members of the public outside Crathie Kirk in Aberdeenshire, she said she hoped people would “think very carefully about the future.” At the time, her words were seen as spontaneous, though some polls had shown the Yes campaign edging ahead.
Former prime minister David Cameron later admitted that he had urged the monarch to intervene. Now, author Valentine Low writes in Power and the Palace that William also pressed for the Queen to say something. He reportedly urged her private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, to find a way for her to make a public comment.
Behind the scenes, Geidt and cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood discussed how to handle the situation without crossing constitutional boundaries. The phrase the Queen eventually used was carefully crafted to strike that balance. Days later, the No campaign won with 55 per cent of the vote, keeping Scotland in the United Kingdom.
The book also reveals that the Queen showed little interest in proposals to update royal succession rules. In 2013, Parliament changed the law to ensure that the firstborn child, regardless of gender, would inherit the throne. Before that reform, sons automatically took precedence over elder sisters in the line of succession.
