Independent Scotland would keep King Charles as head of state, says John Swinney

dailyrecord.co.uk:

John Swinney has confirmed King Charles III will be the head of state if Scotland voted for independence in any future referendum.The Deputy First Minister was asked about the SNP's position on the monarchy ahead of the Charles' first visit as King to the Scottish Parliament later today.The King and the Queen Consort will arrive in Edinburgh later today where they will join the procession of the Queen's coffin from Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and opposition leaders are set to meet the monarch ahead of a special session at Holyrood where MSPs will pay their respects to the late Queen.Asked about the SNP's views on the monarchy, Swinney told BBC Radio 4: "As a representative of the mainstream opinion on the question of independence. "Yes, my party's position is that the monarch up until Thursday it was Her Majesty the Queen it is now His Majesty the King should be the head of state of an independent Scotland."It's what we argued in the referendum in 2014, and it's what we will continue to argue."The SNP's views are at odds with other independence supporting parties with the Greens and Alex Salmond's Alba Party saying they would get rid of the Royal Family if Scotland voted to break up the UK.Last week a top official in the Alba Party demanded the end of monarchy north of the border following the Queen's death.General Secretary Chris McEleny said: "The very idea of retaining the monarchy in an independent Scotland to allow Charles, the Duke of Rothesay, to be our constitutional Head of State would be the antithesis of actual independence for Scotland.“It also poses a real challenge to the independence movement in years to come.