If Scotland became independent, would it damage monarchy’s standing?

His mother was 10-years-old before she became first in line to the throne when her father became George VI following the abdication his brother Edward VIII in 1936. And even George V was a spare heir whose accession to the throne after his father Edward VII only became after the death of his brother Prince Albert. He was first in line, but died in 1892.

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For King Charles III it is almost a case of history repeating itself. His accession to the throne after decades of waiting in the wings and followed a monarch for whom there was much admiration and support. How would the new king be received and what would be the issues which his reign would need to confront?

King Charles next big challenge is the threat of an increasingly disunited kingdom

It was a similar story for the early reign of his great great grandfather Edward VII. He finally became king after the 63-year reign of his mother Queen Victoria. And while his reign might only have been less than 10 years, the playboy prince ultimately considered an ambassador for his country.

Both Edward VII and now Charles’ reigns come after a period of great change and for Charles there is the question of how the monarchy fits with the Scottish independence debate.

In a recent report by Robert Hazell, founder and first director of the Constitution Unit at University College London, on Future Challenges for the Monarchy, he says the next big challenge is the threat of an increasingly disunited kingdom. Days after becoming King, he toured Wales, Scotland and North Ireland and in Edinburgh the Lord Lyon King of Arms read the proclamation of the new King to the people of Scotland at the Mercat Cross. It was met with some boos on the Royal Mile.

King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, wave as they leave Dunfermline Abbey.

According to the report, Charles’s tour of the nations was seen by some as a bid to save the union and says if his loyalty is judged to be with his larger kingdom, could it push for a debate on a Scottish republic?

It said: “If the Scottish government succeeds in a future attempt to hold a second independence referendum, can the monarchy remain neutral? The 2014 referendum was famously an occasion when the Queen’s usually impeccable neutrality seemed to slip for a moment. As someone who has been proclaimed King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, can Charles pretend to be unconcerned if he becomes King of a ‘Lesser Britain’? The standing of the monarchy will inevitably be damaged, even if responsibility for the break-up lies with the politicians and not the monarch. So it will be hard to stand idly by, but a greater risk to the monarchy would be to allow itself to be co-opted by unionist politicians, as Liz Truss attempted to do when she sought to join Charles’s inaugural tour of the nations.

“It will be small consolation that the SNP wishes to retain the monarchy, so that an independent Scotland would become one of the realms, with Charles as its head of state. That would be a hard role to fulfil if the break-up leads to a difficult divorce, as with Brexit, with Charles trying to remain above the divisions of his fractious kingdoms. In addition the SNP has long had a fundamentalist wing who have no time for the monarchy; if the Scottish people sense that Charles’s primary loyalty is to his larger kingdom, they may press for an early referendum on becoming a republic.”

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In October King Charles conferred city status on Dunfermline, an ancient capital of Scotland, after carrying out his first official visit as monarch. During a short walkabout in the city, a burial place for medieval kings including Robert the Bruce, who fought off an English invasion 700 years ago, the King was greeted by large crowds.

King Charles III meets the public on a walk about after attending an official council meeting at the City Chambers in Dunfermline, Fife.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland and Dunfermline were “deeply honoured” the couple had chosen the city for their first official joint visit since the Queen’s death at Balmoral in September.

The cypher is the Sovereign's monogram, consisting of the initials of the monarch's name, Charles, and title, Rex - Latin for King, alongside a representation of the Crown.

Hazell’s report concluded that Charles can and has developed his own style. It added: “In his ceremonial role as head of the nation, Charles introduced some important innovations upon accession: in his televised address to the nation, his tour of the home nations, and early meeting with parliament. He can also develop his own style through his patronage of organisations, the causes he supports, and the institutions he chooses to visit, while being less outspoken than when he was Prince of Wales.

“The main challenge to the monarchy lies in the threat to the union. If Scotland votes to become independent, that will damage the monarchy’s standing, even though responsibility will lie with the politicians. If some of the 14 other realms where Charles is now head of state decide to become republics the monarchy may privately be relieved. It would reduce the workload, and the risk of reputational damage.”