29 MAY 2002
In a rare excursion into the political forum, the Queen, addressing Members of Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, praised the work of the Scottish parliament and spoke of the need on the part of its detractors to have patience with the institution.

The British monarch’s remarks were made during a visit to the governing body’s temporary home in Aberdeen University’s King’s College as part of her Golden Jubilee tour of Scotland. It was the first time a head of state has addressed a full session of any British parliament. Saying that the Scottish people should give the parliament a chance to mature, she added that they were creating a governing body “in tune” with the 21st century.

Her comments were a marked contrast to the sentiments she expressed during her Silver Jubilee in 1977, when she focused on the benefits of Union – a tack interpreted as criticising devolution.

The previous day the Queen received an enthusiastic welcome from the people of the Scottish isles. As part of her whistle-stop tour the Queen visited the Isle of Skye, where she and the Duke of Edinburgh went on walkabout, the Isle of Lewis, and Wick in Caithness. During her journey north there was a poignant moment as the royal helicopter flew over the late Queen Mother’s former private residence of the Castle of Mey, where staff had laid out a message of goodwill in the grounds.

The seven-day Scottish leg of the monarch’s Jubilee Tour came to an end on Wednesday with visits to the border towns of Lauder and Melrose.