'Queen Elizabeth loved gossip', says Nicola Sturgeon in new memoir

Nicola Sturgeon is sharing never-before-heard royal tea in her new memoir, Frankly, and it involves Queen Elizabeth II. 

Scotland’s former First Minister says the late monarch was an “incredible woman” who wasted no time asking about the Alex Salmond allegations when Sturgeon visited Balmoral in 2018.

“She asked me about it almost as soon as I sat down,” Sturgeon writes, adding that the Queen “wanted to know more of what was going on.” 

Far from trivial chatter, Sturgeon says the conversation felt like a savvy attempt to put her at ease - with a side of Windsor wit. 

"She also loved a bit of gossip. She always wanted to hear the stories behind the political headlines.”

Salmond, Sturgeon’s predecessor as SNP leader, was charged in January 2019 and later acquitted after a 2020 trial. 

He has long been viewed as a royal race-course favourite, something Sturgeon notes may have piqued the Queen’s curiosity.

Beyond the headline-grabbing gossip, Sturgeon describes being “struck by the aura” Queen Elizabeth carried into the room, calling her “utterly fascinating.” 

Frankly lands August 14 and promises more candid snapshots from inside the pressure cooker of Scottish politics - and the rarefied world of Balmoral.

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