The Queen is expected to make a statement later today as the nation digests the historic No vote in the Scottish referendum.

The monarch was fittingly in Scotland in her own private home, Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, when she learned that the 307-year-old union of which she is sovereign remains unbroken.

It is believed that the victory of the No campaign will have been met with great relief by the Queen and the rest of the royal family.

The words the Queen uttered on Sunday after attending morning church at Crathie Kirk appeared to urge voters to be cautious about severing the ties.

''Well, I hope people will think very carefully about the future," she is said to have told a well-wisher in the crowd.

Palace officials said the Queen has been following the referendum very closely throughout the campaign. It is thought unlikely she stayed up through the night.

Her private office with her at Balmoral was kept regularly updated by officials in London and Edinburgh as the counting began.

Any statement by the Queen on results day will be seen as part of the process of reconciliation following the heated debate by both sides during the referendum.

She is head of state, but in her less formal role as head of the nation, the Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity and unity and offers a sense of stability and continuity.

The United Kingdom may remain intact as a union of four nations, but there are plans for further devolution to Scotland as well as a rebalancing of the representation of all the nations.

The Queen remains publicly neutral when it comes to political matters. Any statement will be carefully timed to ensure all political leaders have already made their comments on the outcome, as well as carefully worded.

Following Australia's referendum on the monarchy in 1999, when the country voted against establishing a republic, the Queen said in a written statement on results day that she respected and accepted the result.

She spoke of her deep affection for Australia, pledging "faifthfully to serve" as Queen of Australia to the best of her ability.

The Queen faced the prospect of becoming Elizabeth I of Scotland or even Elizabeth, Queen of Scots, but Elizabeth II will go down in history as the monarch whose reign escaped the break-up of the United Kingdom.

As a 27-year-old, her coronation more than 60 years ago was a deeply religious service in Westminster Abbey during which she took a solemn oath to "govern the peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

It was not a promise she took lightly and was rich with significance for the young monarch.

Even her coronation gown demonstrated the importance of the union, with the intricate embroidery centring on the four emblems of the United Kingdom - the rose, the shamrock, the leek and the thistle.

It was poignant that the Queen was at her much-loved Scottish home, where she spends the summer months each year, when the people of Scotland turned down the chance of independence. With her is the Duke of Edinburgh. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are also nearby - at Birkhall which sits on the estate.

The Queen's links to Scotland are strong and her Scottish heritage has been an important part of her life. Her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, hailed from an ancient aristocratic Scottish family.

The annual Ghillies Ball, which she hosts for staff at Balmoral, was moved from polling day to today amid suggestions the switch was made to allow staff to vote in the referendum.

After previous reports claimed the Queen was growing increasingly concerned about Scotland breaking away, Buckingham Palace issued a statement maintaining that she was above politics.

''Any suggestion that the Queen would wish to influence the outcome of the current referendum campaign is categorically wrong. Her Majesty is simply of the view this is a matter for the people of Scotland,'' the Palace said.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage argued that the Queen should intervene, saying: "If the United Kingdom itself is under threat, then in many ways you could argue she has a responsibility to say something."

During the Queen's Jubilee year of 1977 there were growing calls for power to be devolved to Scotland and Wales.

The Queen made her views clear in a speech to both houses of Parliament when she said she understood the aspirations of Scotland and Wales: ''But I cannot forget that I was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

''Perhaps this Jubilee is a time to remind ourselves of the benefits which union has conferred, at home and in our international dealings, on the inhabitants of all parts of this United Kingdom.''

Almost 40 years after the Queen made this pledge, Scotland decided it agreed with her.

The Queen has a life-long love of Scotland. She is descended from Mary, Queen of Scots, James I, who was James VI of Scotland, and Robert the Bruce, who secured Scotland's independence from England.

Even her husband's title connects her to Scotland - the Duke of Edinburgh. On their marriage, Princess Elizabeth also became the Duchess of Edinburgh.

She is apparently never happier than when she is at Balmoral where the royals spend their time riding, fishing or walking. It is her private home and was handed down to her through generations of royals.

It was bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852, but the original 15th century castle was thought too small so Prince Albert built a new one.

Birkhall, the private residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in Scotland, is a favourite hideaway for Charles and Camilla and on occasion for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.