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Buckingham Palace last night insisted the outcome of the Scottish independence referendum is for the people of the country to decide following reports that the Queen is privately concerned about the possible break up of the three-centuries-old union.
"Any suggestion that the Queen would wish to influence the outcome of the current referendum campaign is categorically wrong," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said. "Her Majesty is firmly of the view that this is a matter for the people of Scotland."
The Queen is currently at her Scottish home, Balmoral, and is scheduled to remain there until after the referendum next week. On Tuesday it was reported that several anti-independence MPs want the Queen to underline the benefits of the union and believe that to do so would not be improper.
The palace statement came as Alex Salmond, the leader of the yes campaign who has regular private meetings with the Queen in his capacity as Scotland's first minister, rejected reports she was worried about the break up of Britain. He suggested the Queen would be "proud to be Queen of Scots as indeed we have been proud to have her as the monarch".
The Queen's position on independence was brought into question at the weekend as one poll gave the yes campaign a slight lead.
The Sunday Times had reported the Queen had "a great deal of concern" about the prospect of a yes vote. It quoted royal sources saying it could place the monarchy in uncharted territory.
"The Queen is a unionist," the paper had one source saying. "Lots of people were telling us that it was going to be OK but there is now a great deal of concern."
The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday also reported that some MPs wanted David Cameron to consider asking the Queen to speak out. In 1977, the monarch had used a speech at the time of her silver jubilee to remind people that "I cannot forget that I was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
The royal statement was issued amid growing concern at Westminster over knife-edge polls as the leaders of the three main Westminster parties travelled to Scotland to reinforce the Better Together campaign. The palace said: "The sovereign's constitutional impartiality is an established principle of our democracy and one which the Queen has demonstrated throughout her reign. As such the monarch is above politics and those in political office have a duty to ensure that this remains the case."
A yes vote would not immediately end the Queen's role as the Scottish monarch as the union of the crowns, which happened in 1603 when James VI of Scotland became James I of England predates the 1707 union of the nations which the 18 September referendum will put to the test. But it could be the beginning of the end, according to Adam Tomkins, professor of constitutional law at Glasgow University. He said that the republican tendencies of many in the SNP meant there would be considerable pressure for the formal constitution of the new country to be ditch the monarchy.
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