Prince William put 'pressure' on Queen Elizabeth to intervene in Scottish independence referendum

The Prince of Wales reportedly attempted to persuade the late Queen to meddle in the 2014 vote, according to royal biographer and former journalist Valentine Low.

According to the Times, the book alleged the future king was among a host of key people to put “pressure” on the monarch to speak out in favour of the Union, days before the key vote in September 2014.

Four days before the referendum, Queen Elizabeth told members of the public outside Crathie Kirk near Balmoral that she hoped Scots would “think very carefully about the future”.

READ MORE: Queen’s death unlikely to change support for Scottish independence

Then prime minster David Cameron has confirmed he had been lobbying the Queen to intervene in the debate as the No campaign feared defeat in the referendum. The alleged role Prince William is said to have played behind the scenes is revealed for the first time in Mr Low’s book, Power and the Palace.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon is critical of Prince William in her memoir, Frankly, suggesting he had been "disingenuous" in justifying a 2021 meeting with Gordon Brown - in which she believed the pair were plotting to ensure the Union was not broken up.

READ MORE: Swinney's latest plan to achieve independence branded 'utterly hollow'

In his book, Mr Low writes: “The pressure (on the Queen) did not just come from Cameron, however. Prince William also wanted the Queen to say something, and urged the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt, to get her to intervene.

READ MORE: John Swinney takes swipe at Nicola Sturgeon's failed independence strategy as he defends blueprint

“Geidt and the Cabinet secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, had … already been talking about the constitutional propriety of an intervention by the monarch, and between them they came up with the formula that the Queen would use when she stopped to talk to members of the public outside Crathie Kirk that Sunday.”

Former SNP MP Tommy Sheppard has called for the claim in the book to be investigated.

He said: “If true, it runs a coach and horses through the claim that the royal family are not involved in politics and further undermines their standing. The public have a right to know if this happened or not. It is time for William to tell what happened.”

Asked about the report, Mr Swinney said: "I simply say that it is a matter for the people of Scotland to decide their constitutional future. That's who it should be up to."