A CONTROVERSIAL royal author has predicted Scotland is on course to become an independent republic and said Scots wanted to break “away from English rule”.
Omid Scobie, whose new book Endgame has sparked a new royal row about alleged racism in Buckingham Palace, said he believed the “end of the monarchy as we know it is a possibility”.
And he pointed to Humza Yousaf’s opposition to the monarchy as evidence that Scotland would become a republic after independence.
Scobie wrote: “The Scottish independence movement may have hit a roadblock when Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon resigned amid controversy in March 2023, but their historic push for independence is not going away.
"Fifteen years ago, the SNP was considered a mostly unimportant rabble of semi-radicals, but, as of early 2023, the party now holds 48 of the country's 59 parliamentary seats in Westminster.
“Around 45% of Scottish voters do not want England to govern their country, and a vast majority of younger Scots are in favour of breaking away from English rule.
"New SNP leader Humza Yousaf says it's not a case of if, but when an independent Scotland should decide on their future with the royal family. 'It's not an immediate priority, I accept that,' he said. 'But let's absolutely within the first five years consider whether or not we should move away from having a monarchy to an elected head of state.'”
He also wrote: "Over the years, however, as countries in the Commonwealth continue to make moves towards independence and Scotland grows more comfortable with republican ideas of its own, this royal emblem of 'Britain' and 'Britishness' has gradually become more of a totem of 'England' and 'Englishness'."
READ MORE: Historic Barras Market makes major announcement
It comes after a poll earlier this week showed support for Scottish independence stood at 54%, nearly reversing the result of the 2014 referendum.
Endgame is at the centre of a major controversy after its Dutch translation named two members of the royal family who had made comments about the skin colour of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s mixed-race baby.
The book was pulled from the shelves in the Netherlands and pulped – but Talk TV presenter Piers Morgan is potentially facing legal action from Buckingham Palace after naming the two royals alleged to have made the comments earlier this week.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel