How she became The Queen of Scotland

Chapter 10

"You will arrive at the Culloden Battlefield Memorial at 10.30 am tomorrow as planned where you will be greeted by the staff and curators, before being led through the museum. After the tour you will wait outside the museum for the procession from Inverness to arrive and follow them in honouring silence onto the battlefield to the Memorial Cairn to lay down a wreath followed by an official minute's silence."
"And that is for the 270th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden, right?"
"Yes, M'am."
"But why is the big celebration this year then? I mean its 2017, so since the battle happened on the 16th of April in 1746 the 270th anniversary would have been last year."
"That is absolutely correct but the festivities had to be cancelled last year due to weeks of heavy rainfall. The whole battlefield was flooded. So the decision was made to push the anniversary celebration to the next year."
"I see." Maddie looked at the plans in front of her. Phil had spread them on her desk so they could work through them one last time.
"Okay, Phil, I have only one question left. Why am I the first member of the Royal family to take part in this? I mean this is a significant part of Scottish history right? This battle is what basically ended the Clan life around here right?"
"Yes, you are right M'am. I think it was viewed as too much of a political engagement."
"A political engagement? We lay wraths at war memorials all the time don't we? How is this any more political?"
"To be completely honest: I don't know. Maybe they felt it would be taken in wrongly if they appeared here as members of the family who is partly to blame for the battle."
"Do you think they have a problem with me going there tomorrow?"
"Oh no, no, no. Please do not think that. You know that Her Majesty supports your role very much."
"Yes." Maddie stood up to look outside her study window. "But I still can not shake the feeling that somebody is trying to push me off the cliff here."
She took a deep breath in: "You would tell me right? If someone were to push me off the cliff?"
"Instantly."
Maddie turned to look at Phil. In the course of just a few month he had become so much more than just her private secretary. He had become an adviser and almost something close to a friend.
"I feel like I haven't entirely convinced the Scottish people yet. And to be honest I can not blame them. I am not quite sure I would accept anyone, a foreigner for that matter, as a new princess."
"Well to be fair you are a naturalised British Citizen now."
"With a dual citizenship."
"With a dual citizenship but to be honest people were taking it far better than anyone would have predicted. You have won them over rather quickly."
"Except for the politician who are striving for another referendum."
"Well you can not please everybody, M'am."
"True. Thank you, Phil."
Phil gathered the informations sheets from the desk about to leave the study.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, thank you. And also thank you for always looking after me."
"M'am."
Phil took a step backward to bow his head before leaving the office.

"Have you seen the latest polls on her popularity? The are going through the roof. Seeing that I think nobody would believe us that we were more of a republican public about a year ago."
"Yes. She is indeed doing well and I have to admit she is also working very hard."
"Wow. How much does it hurt to say that?" Chris punched him playfully.
"You know what, not that much. She has surprised me. I mean she is learning Gaelic and taking lessons on Scottish history. I don't think I have any one of them ever seen working so hard to fit in and understand our ways."
"Mr Secretary? Is that a compliment?"
"It is an acknowledgement for her hard work. I wouldn't go as far as saying it was compliment."
"Of course, you wouldn't."
"I am rather interested in the event tomorrow though. How she is going to handle that. This might very well be her toughest appointment yet."
"I will have the reports ready as soon as they are out."
"Thank you, Samuel."
"Ladies and Gentlemen please take your seats. This parliament is now in session."
Chris and Samuel gave each other a last nod before taking their places in the Scottish parliament.
The discussion quickly turned into a heated one. As could have been expected given the subject.
"Ladies and gentlemen, order. Mr secretary you were saying?"
"I think the popularity of our new "so called" princess could very well outweigh another referendum for our independence. So all I am saying is that we could use her popularity to our advantage, ladies and gentlemen. And as elected officials of the Scottish nation isn't it out job, out duty, to do what's best for our country and our people? The people who put us in office? The people who only voted to remain in the UK to remain in the EU and who got played in return by Brexit? My personal opinion about Her Royal Highness or the royal family in general isn't what matters here. What's best for our country does. I think that our best chance for our independence lays with her. If we can get her in on that we will have the people behind us again and we might actually become in independent nation."
"Mr Secretary I see your point. I think it is fair to say that we all do and it is true that the ambition to become an independent nation unites us now more than ever but I think there are many things you didn't think through in your plan. What will become of the princess when we achieve our independence? Will we just discard her back to England? Throw her out? How do you think the public will think about that?"
"Not highly I am sure. That is why my plan goes a little further. Ladies and Gentleman I want an independent Scotland with Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine of Edinburgh as our head of state as The Queen of Scotland."
The whole room broke out into shatter.
Chris had expected that. What he had just imposed would have been considered treason only a couple of centuries ago.
"Order, Ladies and gentlemen. I demand order." The parliamentarian speaker's voice was barely audible over the other voices.
"I am aware of what it is I am proposing, ladies and gentleman. And yes I have thought about the consequences. The questions that will be raised about her legitimation, the fact that any Stuart heirs might come forward to claim their right to an independent Scottish throne, the possible clash with England and the rest of the commonwealth. Please allow me to elaborate my ideas anyway. The question about legitimation will undoubtedly be asked not only by our own people but surely around the world. But what better legitimation is there than being voted into an office by your own people? Of course people will raise questions and thoughts about the relevancy of a monarchy, of it being still the right way and why we wont just get a modern head of state if we are voting anyway, but I see it as keeping our century long tradition alive while giving it our own modern twist. Which is in fact the same reason I would give any Stuart heir. Her placement would be the people's choice. Due to their free will and not to some ancient blood line. And since she has a close connection to the Royal family I highly doubt that they would be difficult about it. Her connection might just be the very reason they will let us go gracefully and without a fight. As I see it, ladies and gentlemen, this is the perfect turning point for us. We could finally achieve what our nation has been hoping for for over 400 years."
He kept silent for a moment to observe the room. The chatter had gone down a little. Members of the same parties stuck their heads together.
"I know I am proposing something big and a decision can not be made lightly about this. I have written everything down and send the paper to each and every one of you to think about. Please deliberate within your parties. Our independence is finally within our reach. Let's not waste that. Thank you."