Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, says the Queen is impartial on the upcoming independence referendum.
Over the weekend, Her Majesty told members of the public that she hopes "people will think very carefully about the future", which has been widely interpreted as her backing the United Kingdom.
However, Salmond does not subscribe to that view, saying: "I think Her Majesty the Queen is absolutely impartial in this referendum. I thought the statement from Buckingham Palace last week made that totally clear.
"As a constitutional monarch she is completely impartial on these matters, that has been stated many times.
"Nobody seriously, apart from the more frenetic unionist press, would seek to persuade or tell people otherwise. And I look forward to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth being Queen of Scots."
The Palace has not pledged its support in an official capacity one way or the other, however a source has told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that the Queen was conscious of how her remarks would be perceived.
But a statement from the Palace read: "Any suggestion that the Queen would wish to influence the outcome of the current referendum campaign is categorically wrong. Her Majesty is simply of the view this is a matter for the people of Scotland."

Britain's Prince William is a fan of 'Downton Abbey'.
The heir heir to the throne confessed to actress Lily James - who plays rebellious Lady Rose - that he is a big fan of the period drama, while his wife Duchess' Catherine's sister Pippa Middleton also regularly tunes in.
'Downton' star Michelle Dockery told Radio Times magazine: "We bumped into Pippa [at the Wimbledon tennis tournament], who'd come on set a few years ago with her brother and watches the show.
"I'm forever overwhelmed by all the lovely things that happen as a result of being in this and Lily got to meet the Prince recently."
Lily added: "It was a charity event for the Royal Marsden hospital in May.
"Ralph Lauren did this thing at Windsor Castle with Prince William. He's a charmer and said he watches the show, which I'm sure he does."
While William and his family enjoy watching 'Downton Abbey', it has previously been revealed his stepmother, Duchess Camilla, is a big fan of 'Strictly Come Dancing' and has even visited the set of the popular celebrity dance contest as a guest of judge Craig Revel Horwood, who she has worked with on a number of charity projects.
A source said of her secret visit in 2011: "The visit was top secret but Craig thought it would give the remaining contestants and the crew a real boost if Camilla came down to watch them in action.
"The duchess is a big fan of the series and watches the show with her husband Prince Charles so she was very knowledgeable when she was watching the run through.
"None of the contestants could believe it when she walked in, but it certainly made them concentrate even more in the rehearsals and a few of the dancers seemed a bit starstruck."

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