'Queen's reign could end with Union collapse' says US mag

Newsweek, a magazine in the US which was founded in 1933, ran an article which examined the constitutional question in Scotland and the impact on the monarchy. 

As a poll on independence is to be held in the second half of the Scottish Parliament’s term, by 2024, the magazine said this could raise “the prospect Elizabeth could face seeing Scotland break from the UK at the tail end of her era”.

The piece, titled “Scottish Independence Calls Could See Queen Elizabeth's Reign End With Union Collapsing”, detailed the “mounting pressure” on the monarch and royal family.

READ MORE: Prince William and Kate hold secret talks with Gordon Brown on independence

The publication explores the issue of the royal family’s seeming interventions into the constitutional debate, noting that in 2014 David Cameron lobbied the Queen to step in, “something royals by convention are not supposed to do”.

However, the Queen did in her own way. As has previously been reported, and made clear in the article, the monarch made headlines after telling a well-wisher at Crathie Kirk, the church where she worships while holidaying at Balmoral, that she hoped "people would think very carefully about the future".

The National is referenced extensively in the piece, particularly our coverage of a letter the Queen sent to the Church of Scotland.

The article said: “The queen recently wrote a letter to the Church of Scotland saying ‘new bonds’ forged during the pandemic ‘will serve us all well in the future as the United Kingdom seeks to rebuild and reshape community life’.

“The statement may sound innocuous but was seized on by Scottish newspaper The National, which suggested Elizabeth ‘made her own apparent comment about a United Kingdom’.”

READ MORE: Royal staff 'accused crew filming Gordon Brown of trespassing on public street'

The piece also notes that “Scottish politicians and the media are already watching the royals closely for any sign of a new intervention this time around".

We previously told how the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge held a secret meeting with Gordon Brown to discuss Scottish independence.

There was outrage after the former prime minister, who recently launched a renewed campaign to save the Union, was seen attending the Palace of Holyrood House by Channel 4 on Tuesday May 27. 

The broadcaster was asked not to show the images of the former Labour leader in the grounds of the palace, citing "privacy" concerns. 

It was during the final day of William and Kate’s royal tour of Scotland when the couple sat down for talks with Brown and his wife Sarah at the Queen’s official Edinburgh residence.