Did QEII want to pass away in Balmoral to kneecap Scottish independence?

After Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral, her private estate in Scotland, there was a lot of talk about how much she loved Scotland, how she was half-Scottish (on her mother’s side) and how she probably intended to pass away in Scotland all along. King Charles needed the boost, especially since the issue of Scottish independence grows more popular by the year. It’s also clear that Charles has basically no plans to “keep” the British Commonwealth nations together – he knows that’s a lost cause, so he seems much more focused on keeping the ties of the United Kingdom together, meaning no independence for Scotland and the status quo for Northern Ireland and Wales. Now the Daily Beast has an exhaustive piece about whether QEII’s final act was to choose to die in Scotland as some kind of final bid to save the union. Some highlights from this piece:

A friend of QEII claims she always planned to die in Scotland: “She was frail and there was an argument that she should be back in Windsor where it is significantly easier to get hospital treatment,” the friend said. “Of course she had access to medics at Balmoral, but nothing like at Windsor. Balmoral is very isolated, but that is where she wanted to be, precisely because she thought the end might be near. She planned to die in Scotland to save the union.”

Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond: “You cannot choose the time of your passing but you can choose the place. I believe that the Queen effectively chose to die at Balmoral not as some sort of political statement, but for the very human reason that this was the place where she was most comfortable and happy. In turn the great majority of the people of Scotland held Elizabeth, Queen of Scots, in the highest regard, as indeed did I. She would have personally scrutinized every iota of ‘Operation Unicorn’ which governed her passing in Scotland including the provision that her coffin would be draped with the Scottish Royal Standard, a fact that completely bemused the BBC commentary team who failed to even recognize it.”

But she didn’t relocate to Scotland, really? The royal author Christopher Andersen, who for many years claimed that the queen intended to retreat to Balmoral before her death, expressed a similar point of view, saying: “I predicted years ago that once Philip died the queen would relocate to Balmoral and end her days there. I think it has less to do with keeping the United Kingdom whole and more to do with her deep love for Balmoral and the memories it holds for her, as well as her abiding love for Scotland. She was at her core a country girl, after all. But do I think she’d be pleased that the union was strengthened by her dying there? Absolutely.”

[From The Daily Beast]

Personally, I think several things can be true at once: QEII loved Scotland and loved Balmoral. If she got to choose, she probably would choose Balmoral for the location of her final days, so I’m glad that happened. I also think Charles was probably quite pleased that his mother passed away in Scotland, because then Scotland got to be included in the larger funeral arrangements, and thus, good press for the Windsors. But like most of King Charles’s “support,” it’s a mile wide and an inch deep. The Scottish papers – which are not closely aligned to Fleet Street’s colonialist, anti-independence drivel – are reporting with some regularity that the case for independence grows and it might just happen. If and when Scotland becomes independent, they could rejoin the EU, which is apparently what they want as well.

Photos courtesy of Instar and Avalon Red.

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52 Responses to “Did QEII want to pass away in Balmoral to kneecap Scottish independence?”

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  1. Eowyn says:

    Scotland has oil reserves. They can also generate renewal energy with massive wind farms. They can rejoin the EU if they leave the UK and regain independence. The location of Old Brenda’s death was 100% cynically strategic, as was dragging her coffin through Edinburgh and all the rest.

    • Snuffles says:

      What would England have if it wasn’t stealing from or leeching off other countries around the world? It seems precious little.

      • Emily_C says:

        The Norman invasion conquered England, then they went on to conquer and genocide in the British Isles.

    • Peanut Butter says:

      Run, Scotland, run!

    • notasugarhere says:

      Sadly the anti-monarchy, pro-Independence, pro-EU PM Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation yesterday. That may set back Scottish independence.

    • SenseOfTheAbsurd says:

      If Scotland leaves the union, they’ll take almost all of the current UK’s fishing waters with them.

  2. Fifee says:

    Ohhh please! This is one of more absurd things I’ve read regarding her death. Maybe she did plan to die at Balmoral, if for nothing more than the peace it would likely have offered but I fail to see how it would hold the union in place.

    As for Balmoral being isolated then yeah it’s a wee bit always from Aberdeen, an hour or so but come on it’s not like it’s in the wilds of Wyoming! A wee helicopter ride would be 15 mins unless someone isn’t stable enough for transport then they’re fecked!

    • Underhill says:

      I agree. It’s a bit cynical to suggest she strategically managed to die there when she would have been there normally at that time of year anyway, and was perhaps suffering from something that the doctors could do little about, other than provide palliative care. Why go to Windsor? Even the wilds of Wyoming are not that remote anymore.

      • Fifee says:

        As you said she could well have been receiving palliative care and just wanted to die in peace away from the grey men down south. Im sure she had a fantastic team of Dr’s at the drop of a hat and a team on standby at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

        I passed through the “wilds” of Wyoming on my way to Yellowstone and believe me its way more wild than Balmoral & Aberdeen lol

  3. Emily_C says:

    Brexit accelerated independence movements in the British Isles, and I hope Scotland frees itself fast. The EU already has made known that they would welcome Scotland. It will help their economy and they’ll actually be able to pass their own laws without the Tories in England coming in and telling them they can’t.

    I’ve seen people suggest a sort of overarching trade/defense type of thing between an independent Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (including Northern Ireland rejoining Ireland), and it looks like a great idea to me. Leave England all alone.

  4. Amy Bee says:

    These royalists really live on fantasy island.

    • Christine says:

      I agree, and I am really confused by this. Why is where QEII died remotely relevant to Scottish independence? Is there really anyone who would say, “Oh, never mind, the queen died here, so let’s just keep this royal train rolling.” I don’t understand what the messaging is supposed to be here.

  5. Miranda says:

    I don’t know, I’ve always believed that QEII may have taken on an “après moi, le déluge” attitude in her final years, and was perhaps reconciled to the fact that the Commonwealth, which was already showing cracks, would crumble not long after her death — several countries quite openly said as much in the past few years, after all. She was sentimental about Scotland, of course, but given the relatively close vote in the referendum, and the knowledge that Scotland had wished to remain in the EU, could she really have been deluded enough to think that they would remain part of the UK in the long run? Certainly she must have known that Charles couldn’t be relied upon to maintain solidarity, and after Hurricane Cambridge hit the Caribbean, she must have had even less faith in William. This was simply a very old woman who was determined to die in the place where she was happiest.

    • Brassy Rebel says:

      I agree, Miranda.

    • Kingston says:

      Dont underestimate betty’s complete and undying devotion and subservience to the monarchy. She said it at the very beginning of her reign: “my whole life….long or short….devoted to the monarchy” and its preservation.

      And throughout her entire life, we saw how she sacrificed everything and everyone, choosing the monarchy always: husband, children, grandchildren, sister, daughters-in-law, all other relatives, the people of Scotland, the people of the UK, the people of the C’wealth/former biritish ’empire.’

      With that precedent, it is logical to believe that she would use her dying breath in service to the monarchy and its preservation, if her handlers told her that was the thing to do to help preserve the monarchy.

  6. Becks1 says:

    I can imagine that the Queen passing away in Scotland may have generated some national….sentiment, I guess, for lack of a better word, but if I was Scottish and wanted to be independent, I don’t think I would now say “Well the queen died here, that was meaningful, now I no longer want to be independent.”

    • JanetDR says:

      My take exactly. Once the funeral was over, back to business!

    • TigerMcQueen says:

      I know. The whole line of thinking is just not logical.

      But these are not smart people. They don’t realize that TQ might have been revered in some ways (something very much bolstered by here sheer longevity), but she was NOT that special when it came down to it. Scotland paid respects then shrugged and went on with things.

    • Christine says:

      Per usual, I just should have kept reading. Agreed.

  7. equality says:

    The BBC didn’t recognize the Scottish royal standard? How impressive.

  8. hangonamin says:

    total fanfiction. dying as a figurehead at a place where people already had lukewarm sentiments towards you and were already thinking about independence won’t change anything. she likes balmoral, that much is clear in harry’s book, and she wanted to die at a place she loved.

  9. Zapp Brannigan says:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_V

    Let’s face it, this family have dispatched Monarchs for more dubious reasons.

    ” Dawson wrote that he acted to preserve the King’s dignity, to prevent further strain on the family, and so that the King’s death at 11:55 pm could be announced in the morning edition of The Times newspaper rather than “less appropriate … evening journals”.

    • SomeChick says:

      so there was a time when the brf didn’t collaborate with the tabloids!

      but it was in… 1936

      and they did coordinate with the (then) respectable press.

  10. C-Shell says:

    My hope for the future is to age (and die) in place, so I can well imagine that QEII, having held on through the Jubbly, and knowing her days were certainly numbered, looked forward to her annual summer sojourn at Balmoral as her last. She might have wished for UK unity, but I doubt that was her motive for finishing her span in Scotland. She was always going to be there at that time of year, after all. That said, I agree that the funeral plans involving Scotland are unlikely to affect the independence movement. CIII doesn’t seem to have endeared himself with the UK constituents, and Bulliam definitely has not. This is going to be very interesting to watch.

    • windyriver says:

      I wondered at the time if the fact that Harry and Meghan were already in the UK wasn’t a subliminal factor. She was old, she was sick, Philip and most of her close family and friends were already gone, she was someplace she loved, and she knew for sure both H&M were close by. Thus they’d be able to be at the funeral (who knows what kind of BTS wrangling must have gone on to be able to have them come from CA to England for the Jubbly).

  11. Julie says:

    In Canada, in the French province of Québec, we did two referendum to decide if we wanted independence from Canada. It didn’t work because it was perceived that all necessary winning conditions were not there. With Covid and the uncertainties of the economy, winning condition are simply not in Scotland right now. I dont believe it has anything to do with the queen who, as mentioned, did in a beloved place.

    • Weetzie says:

      I think Brexit, the way the Tory government capriciously tanked the UK economy in the aftermath of COVID, and the death of the Queen created exactly the winning conditions (I love your phrase, btw) for a referendum to be successful this time around. I worked on campaigns for 16 years and if I was looking for the best chance of a winning independence referendum I would want an election tomorrow.

    • Christine says:

      I am very embarrassed to say this, but I had no idea any provinces in Canada were interested in breaking away from Canada. I clearly need to do a deep dive.

  12. MSTJ says:

    IMHO QEII was neglected in her final year of live moreso the last 6 months which is why Prince Harry was concerned about who was around her and caring/protecting her when he popped over in spring of 2022 unannounced. All her children were pursuing their own agenda in their various locations knowing that she was ill, rarely spending time with her. Her daughter Anne in my opinion did not seem close to her, even her public interactions with her during the few engagements they were on together in 2022 were distant although the queen was frail. Charles was in high spirits running around the UK while waiting for the inevitable to happen (sooner the better for him is what I imagine he was thinking). Andrew was plotting his comeback and bothering her daily and Edward, well he was as usual indifferent it seemed. Meanwhile the courtiers and Angela K were plotting their future with the new regime. Poor Lizzie was powerless in her final months. She probably just wanted to die after Charles had her issue the statement in support of the Queen Consort crowning – I don’t think where it happened (her death) mattered after that statement. She was probably tired of it all after that since Charles finally got what he wanted and she no longer had leverage. The Jubbly appearance may have been her last sense of duty she felt she needed to perform for the nation to honor her pledge. Heavy is the head that wears the crown 👑.

  13. Anneli says:

    I would love for Scotland to rejoin the EU. I spent seven lovely years in Edinburgh, so I have a soft spot for this place and for its people.

  14. KL says:

    I take any media stories that read specific intention into the Queen’s actions in the last several years of her life with a huge grain of salt. I don’t care how sharp they want us to think she was, She was not thinking strategically. The woman was 96 years old, I doubt she knew what day it was most of the time. Give it a rest.

    • Kingston says:

      Why would you think that she ever thought strategically for a single day in her life?

      That woman remained, mentally, as green a 25-year-old on the last day of her reign as on the first, relying for the entirety of her reign, on men like the bee, the wasp and the fly to tell her what to do. Always.

      • Mary Pester says:

        I think she decided to to get as far away from the Palace as possible, she saw all the backbiting, nastiness and the ineptitude of her son and thought to herself “, christ what have I brought into this world”, she knew Charles was useless as a father and would be even worse as a king, she also had no doubt that he would make sure the “consort”, part of Camillas title would disappear! She also saw what a raging monster William had become and what a vapid woman he was married to
        Enough was enough and she left. I honestly think if she had been able to change things, Ann would be on the throne now and not Charles. I also know just how close she remained to Harry and Megan and must have hated what was being done to them

  15. SueBarbri33 says:

    The BP machine and the press keep making the same mistakes with the narrative around QEII’s life–they keep attempting to present her mere existence and longevity as proof of…something. Perhaps I’ll choose to believe them when they say Balmoral is further from the world’s best hospitals than Windsor, but surely they don’t think we’re stupid enough to believe dying in Scotland at a palace was some sort of hardship/sacrifice? And even if it was, how would any of this make any difference to the Scottish Independence supporters?

    • Roo says:

      I’m with you. She didn’t sacrifice anything by spending her last pampered days in one castle versus another. I’m sure she had the best doctors on call if she needed them. This effort to “Scotwash” her last days is, frankly, quite insulting to Scots.

      • Kingston says:

        I kinda agree with you, for the simple reason that she was the monarch, the raison d’etre for the existence of the entire cabal, so it wouldnt be far-fetched to believe that she could demand and receive the best of whatever it was she wanted.

        But we have all read Spare. Casual observers of the royals have looked on at Harry’s life and thought, incorrectly, it turns out, that he had access to whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it. Even Bully, the heir, one would think could command everyone lower down the totem pole, including senior advisors and everyone else.

        But Spare also showed us that even Bully got tattled on and used by chucky and his mistress and those who served them.

        In conclusion, and as M told us, NOTHING is as it seems in the british royal family and the monarchy.

  16. Digital Unicorn says:

    What a load of tosh – she died at Balmoral cause she loved that place. This is just baiting to wind up the SNP and indyref voters.

    • EBS says:

      Yes, completely agree. Also, if Nicola thought independence was possible in the next few years, she wouldn’t have resigned (I’ve no opinion on it other than to say that it is for the people of Scotland to decide).

      • equality says:

        Actually, she said herself that she thought she had become too divisive a figure and that Scotland would be better served by a new leader in a bid for independence.

      • EBS says:

        @equality, yes, exactly. The fact that there’s no clear front-runner means that it’s not going to happen any time soon.

  17. Saucy&Sassy says:

    Is this a dichotomy?

    QE2 died in Balmoral because she wanted Scotland to stay in the UK. QE2 died and any respect for the Monarchy people had died along with her.

    Doesn’t that mean people can choose that Scotland leaves the UK and still revere QE2 who is dead?

    • Caren says:

      I think it was personal. Death is a private thing. The Queen died at Balmoral because she loved it there. It is quiet and peaceful. She was able to look out over the rolling hills and listen to the birds. Her mother was Scottish.

  18. Christine says:

    I can’t look at this pic of QEII, with her body failing, and a smile on her face. It’s like a snuff film, to me.

  19. Ireland says:

    Just one thing about Charles keeping the status quo for Northern Ireland. It’s not up to him which may be why he’s focused on Scotland. The decision on a United Ireland will solely be made by the people of North Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This is due to the Good Friday Agreement where it was agreed that a referendum can be held if it’s believed the majority in Northern Ireland want a United Ireland. It won’t be anytime soon, and if/when a referendum does happen I’m sure he’d be over there campaigning if he’s still alive.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Ireland

    • EBS says:

      Note that majorities in both NI and the south of Ireland have to approve any reunification, not just NI.

    • notasugarhere says:

      There are now more Catholics in NI than Protestants. That changes the voting dynamic significantly from the past.

  20. HennyO says:

    Regarding the political implications of Betty’s death in Scotland. The writing was already on the wall, the RF are playing their role in securing the UK as a whole, so did Betty, so is Chuck continuing doing. Make no mistake understanding that. Betty even ‘interfered with her advice’ to the Scots during the last Scottish referendum.

    Some more background to understand what’s going on in the UK politics at the moment.

    Farouk Zachary, political and economic analyst since years at CNN, just gave a 100% spot on assessment of the current UK economy and the Torry political choices reg Brexit. Look it up (twitter/internet/CNN) or read it here, if allowed.
    The forecast is minus 4 to 6 % growth. So England/ the Tories need all the Scottish resources to keep their economy going. They, and their horrific anti-independent Fleetstreet propagandist friends, will continue to do everything to undermine Scottish independence.

  21. HennyO says:

    Sorry, his name is Fareed Zakaria.

  22. Andrew’s_Nemesis says:

    I actually find this quite ghoulish. How about – a 96-year-old with fatal bone cancer decided to breathe her last in the place she loved the most? Not everything has to be about politics, and, indeed, very little is about politics.