Alex Salmond dead: Tributes after ex-first minister dies aged 69

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

It is not every political veteran that receives a tribute
from the monarch upon news of their death.

That Alex Salmond’s “devotion to Scotland” has been
praised by King Charles feels significant.

Maybe there is a protocol somewhere that requires the
service of former first ministers to receive royal recognition and that it so
happens Mr Salmond is the first politician in this position to pass.

There is a bit of a back story too.

As Prince of Wales, Charles took the trouble to meet and
talk privately with Mr Salmond in 1997 as the prospect of a Scottish Parliament
drew closer.

That appeared to give the then SNP leader and his
politics an additional credibility they had not previously enjoyed.

It seems to me that engagement was rewarded when Alex
Salmond took office as first minister a decade later.

He was quick to commit public funds to the purchase of
Dumfries House – a cause Prince Charles championed.

At that time and through the 2014 referendum, Alex
Salmond argued for the continuation of the monarchy in an independent Scotland.

It is only in the last few years, as leader of the Alba
party, that he adopted a republican position, claiming no personal animus
towards the current King.