Queen given £150 bottle of Blue Label whisky in meeting with Nicola Sturgeon
The Queen has been gifted a £150 bottle of whisky by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
They met today as the monarch continues her trip through the country for Royal Week.
She was presented with a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label whisky alongside a tartan blanket.
The royal is reportedly partial to a dram or two of whisky, with Royal Lochnagar her drink of choice while holidaying at her Balmoral estate.
Pictures today show the 96-year-old and Ms Sturgeon smiling as they exchange gifts, with the Queen wearing a brightly coloured floral dress.
The pair posed for photographs before holding discussions in private.
Today’s meeting comes a day after Ms Sturgeon announced plans for a second Scottish Independence referendum.
The SNP leader told MSPs a Bill would be set out with a proposed date of October 19, 2023.
The question, if the UK Government gives the go-ahead for the vote, would be ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’
It would be the same phrasing as in the first vote in 2014.
Ms Sturgeon says she won last May’s election with a ‘clear commitment to give the people of Scotland the choice of becoming an independent country’.
But her new plan has been slammed by the likes of Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, who branded the proposed vote as ‘pretend’.
SNP policy is to retain the Queen as head of state if Scotland becomes independent.
Today marks the third day of Royal Week in Scotland, known as Holyrood Week in the rest of the UK, which sees the monarch travel the country for a special series of events.
The Queen was full of smiles yesterday as she arrived for a military parade in Edinburgh.
She had joined Armed Forces at the Palace of Holyroodhouse as they marked her Platinum Jubilee.
Dressed in a lavender jacket with a matching hat, she had also donned a thistle brooch for the occasion.
She was was also carrying a walking stick and her trusty black handbag.
Yesterday’s event, known as the ‘act of loyalty’ comes 200 years since King George IV’s visit to Scotland in 1822.
Other members of the Royal Family have joined the Queen for the Royal Week celebrations.
The Prince of Wales, known as The Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, will attend the Order of the Thistle service at St Giles Cathedral.
He will join Princess Anne in overseeing the installations of The Right Honourable Dame Elish Angiolini and The Right Honourable Sir George Reid.
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