Nicola Sturgeon speaks of her deep respect for the Queen
- Published
Nicola Sturgeon: “I support the Queen and her successors remaining head of state – it is the policy of my party."
Scotland's first minister has described her deep respect for the Queen as she paid tribute to the monarch's "selfless commitment to duty".
Nicola Sturgeon said she had benefited from the Queen's knowledge and wisdom during their private conversations.
She said she wanted the Queen and her successors to remain as head of state if Scotland becomes independent.
And she said people should have respect for the Queen regardless of their views on the monarchy.
The first minister was speaking as celebrations continued for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - marking her 70 years on the throne.
Beacons were lit on landmarks across Scotland on Thursday evening, with several other events planned over the next three days.
Ms Sturgeon said being able to spend time alone in private with the Queen was one of the great privileges of being first minister.
She added: "I like her a lot - I have deep respect for her as many people do.
"The context of those conversations are rightly by convention completely private and confidential and I won't breach that.
"But I think it is fair to say that that opportunity to talk with her, to benefit from her knowledge, her wisdom and perhaps above all the completely unique perspective she has on modern world history, is something that I deeply value and will always really treasure."
Ms Sturgeon has had several private audiences with the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh
Ms Sturgeon described the Queen as being incredibly warm and friendly, very supportive and "someone you feel comfortable talking to and talking to quite openly".
She said: "I have benefited from it, I have learned from it and it is something I will always cherish.
"She is somebody who has had a front row seat on the last 70 years of history. She has met every world leader over that time. She has seen up close and personal some of the key events of history.
"The knowledge that gives her, the wisdom that gives her, the perspective that gives her is much more valuable in these conversations then any specific thing that she will perhaps say".
When asked if she was a monarchist, Ms Sturgeon replied: "I support the Queen and her successors remaining head of state - it is the policy of my party as I think you well know."
She also said it was the SNP's policy for an independent Scotland "to remain as part of the Commonwealth with the Queen and her successors as head of state".
But she added: "I actually don't think that this weekend is the time to really be talking about these things."
On our stamps, our coins, our Christmas TV schedules - the Queen is everywhere, always - a continuity figure in an ever changing kingdom.
There was a time, during her Silver Jubilee, when she publicly cautioned over plans to devolve power to Scotland - rather pointedly noting that she was "crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
By the time devolution actually happened in 1999, her approach had changed. She opened the new parliament, external and would defend its "distinctive contribution" a few years later during her Golden jubilee.
Adept as the Royal family is at adapting to constitutional change, that does not mean they are hungry for more.
The Queen urged Scots to "think carefully" before casting their votes on independence and was said by David Cameron to have "purred" with approval when he told her Scotland had voted to stay in the UK.
Any indyref2 would, once again, test the political unity of the United Kingdom even if Nicola Sturgeon is keen to stress her commitment to keeping a shared monarchy in the event of independence.
Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater, pictured meeting the Queen last year, joined the rest of her party's MSPs in boycotting a Holyrood debate to congratulate the monarch on her jubilee
The SNP's partners in government, the Scottish Greens, boycotted a Scottish Parliament debate on Wednesday in which MSPs from other parties congratulated the Queen on her platinum jubilee.
The Greens said they believed a head of state should be chosen by and be accountable to voters, adding: "We respect others hold different beliefs and have no wish to deprive them of their celebration".
Ms Sturgeon said it was right in a democracy that people were able to express "very strong republican sentiment and support" if they wished.
But she added: "Whether you support the monarchy or whether you are a republican I actually think it is possible regardless of that to have great respect for Her Majesty The Queen.
"That comes from the way she has conducted herself, the service she has given and the dedication she has shown over seven decades."
Former Holyrood presiding officer Lord Steel believed the unity of the UK was a "very big concern" for the Queen
There have been suggestions that jubilee celebrations have been more muted overall in Scotland than in England, with some opinion polls suggesting that fewer people north of the border support keeping the monarchy.
A former presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament - Lord David Steel - said he believed the unity of her kingdom was a "very big concern" for the Queen, who he said was "very strongly opposed to any idea that Scotland should drift off".
Lord Steel, who first saw the Queen when she visited his father's church in Kenya three days before her coronation, said he believed this was partly why the royal family pays so much attention to Scotland.
The former Liberal Party leader added: "I think it's a deliberate scheme to try to make sure that the United Kingdom stays the United Kingdom.
"And I think that would be privately their view, although they're not allowed to express it."