Let’s imagine that the First Minister of Scotland placed words in the mouth of the Queen that were critical of her government in England. She (or her successor) would find herself in an impossible position. For that matter, it is very unlikely that her English subjects would take kindly to the Queen going on holiday in a foreign country. At present she makes visits to her dominions abroad, but has no permanent residence in Australia or Canada, as she does at Balmoral. In the fullness of time, this capacious and historic residence looks doomed to become the summer retreat of Scotland’s First Minister.