The Queen spoke frequently and fondly of her connection to Scotland, but nowhere was that connection stronger than in the small village of Ballater, just down the road from Balmoral Castle, where she died.
The blue and white colors of the Scottish flag flew at half-mast over the village’s main street on Friday.
“She was a wonderful person for this area. And I think she will be sorely missed,” said John Sinclair, co-owner of Sheridan Metzger.
The village is adorned with royal seals, a mark of companies that have provided services or done business with the royal family, whose association with the region dates back to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
A seal hangs over Sinclair’s shop; another at the pharmacy across the street. “The hustle and bustle of the royals in the city and the business that is created as a result. I don’t know if that will ever be seen again,” Sinclair told CBC News.
“I actually placed an order for the royal family yesterday and was upset when I placed the order as I’m thinking well this could be the last royal order we do in the shop. You know, you never know.”
While there is no indication that other members of the royal family, including King Charles, plan to reduce their visits to Balmoral, the Queen’s presence in the area has been a constant for decades. And without them, some are wondering if the simmering questions of Scottish independence will resurface.
“Queen of Scots”
The Queen is known to have posed at Balmoral wearing a robe embedded with the insignia of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s national flower.
She, Prince Phillip and their children would typically spend several weeks each summer at the vast estate in the Scottish Highlands – and Sinclair said the family often bought the sausages from him for their picnics.
“We used to make special sausages for their barbecues, and I know the duke cooked them himself. Then the queen did the dishes. It was only a family day away from the castle. I think they really enjoyed that.”
As of Thursday, Ballater has become the lynchpin for those wishing to visit Balmoral and pay their respects.
The county of Aberdeenshire has set up shuttles from the village to the castle, transporting thousands of people, most of whom arrive at the castle gates with flowers.
“It’s really a bit surreal. Do you know how it really happened?” said Gillian Engles, who hails from Ballater. “We have lost the most elegant lady we could have wished for.”
However, Scots’ relationship with the royal family is not without its complications. Many supporters of independence from the UK also want to end ties with the monarchy, while other Scottish nationalists support the royals.
These disagreements were clear in Britain’s Parliament, Westminster, where one of the most emotional tributes came from Scottish nationalist MP Ian Blackford, who dubbed her “Elizabeth Queen of Scots”.
“People across Scotland have their own stories of their individual encounters with the Queen because she was a monarch who ruled with compassion and integrity and forged a deep connection with the public. And the affection the Queen had for Scotland and Scotland had not to be underestimated for the Queen,” he told Parliament.
The Independence Question
However, Scotland’s affection for Her Majesty’s Kingdom has been the subject of further debate – and this summer Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launched her campaign for a second independence referendum, arguing that Scotland would be better off outside the UK
In 2014, Scotland rejected independence in a referendum with a 55 percent vote against. Then the Queen unusually chimed in, saying she hoped voters would “think very carefully about the future”.
That year, just before the Queen’s record-breaking 70th accession year, a public opinion poll examining attitudes towards the monarchy found that 36 per cent believed her death should be the cue for Scotland to become a republic.
Charles, who is also a keen enthusiast of Scotland and its nature, is less popular than his mother and some fear this may ultimately weaken Scotland’s commitment to the Union.
Susan Forrester was among those who laid flowers at Balmoral, downplaying suggestions that her death would help the independence movement.
“I think there will always be some that weren’t [admirers] but the majority was,” she told CBC News.
“Hopefully there won’t be too many changes,” said Sinclair, the butcher. “I hope the monarchy stays the way it is and I hope they continue to visit Scotland.”
See the Queen as a playful child who later grows into her roles as wife, mother and monarch.
The Queen’s death in Scotland means there are likely to be some additional steps in the elaborate funeral arrangements that are still being worked out.
Scottish newspapers are reporting that her coffin will be taken to Edinburgh and there will be a formal procession to the city’s historic St Giles’ Cathedral. Her body is then expected to sit in the condition for 24 hours before being taken south to London.
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