SNP Westminster Leader Angus Robertson hailed the Queen’s special relationship with the north-east of Scotland as he wished her a happy 90th birthday yesterday.
The Moray MP said she had enjoyed a “lifetime connection” with and commitment to the country, particularly Royal Deeside – and pointed out she reads the Press and Journal.
He added: “While she has managed to serve as head of state to a remarkable 32 independent countries during her unprecedented and successful reign, her association with Scotland is enduring and it is special.”
Mr Robertson was speaking in Commons at a specially-arranged debate to mark the occasion.
Peers also paid tribute to the UK’s longest-reigning monarch in the House of Lords.
The SNP MP told of Her Majesty’s youngest days at Glamis in Angus, her childhood at Balmoral and honeymoon at nearby Birkhall.
He said: “While the Queen’s official visits and functions in Scotland are well received, there is an appreciation that it is at Balmoral that she likes to be most.
“Queen Victoria described Balmoral as her ‘heaven on earth’, while the current Queen is said to be ‘never happier’ than when spending her summer break at the north-east estate, her private home which was handed down through generations of royals.
“Her Majesty’s connections with Balmoral and the north-east of Scotland are abiding.
“She is a reader of the Aberdeen Press and Journal, and we have learned in recent days, from an interview with her cousin, that she is an accomplished speaker of the Doric, which is no mean feat.”
He also highlighted the more than 80 Scottish companies holding royal warrants, including Speyside firms Walkers of Aberlour, Baxters of Fochabers and Johnstons of Elgin.
Among the anecdotes he noted were her 1999 “reopening of the Scottish Parliament after a recess of nearly 300 years” and attendance at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
He also highlighted the Queen’s love of the west coast, recounting an occasion when she was apparently transported around the island of Gigha in a people carrier by a local newsagent so she could visit the Achamore Gardens.
In the Lords, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Wallace of Tankerness praised her “unwavering sense of duty” and constancy, “standing with her people whether it be in times of tragedy or times of joy”.
Prime Minister David Cameron said she had led a “gentle evolution of our monarchy”.
The staunchly republican Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, celebrated the woman rather than the institution, particularly the way she had stood up for the Commonwealth, and joked she had “seen off” 12 prime ministers.
