Commonwealth Games, with police marksmen on alert
Games were the first ones the Queen had missed since Kingston in 1966, and it is understood she is now keen to take her place at the Games in Glasgow this summer.
Politically, a perceived Royal snub to Scotland just eight weeks ahead of the independence referendum is something Buckingham Palace is keen to avoid.
It is also understood that the Queen will be joined at the opening ceremony at Celtic Park by Prime Minister David Cameron as well as First Minister Alex Salmond, along with dignitaries and government leaders from all over the world. Security planning is well under way and insiders have revealed that every specialist firearms officer in Scotland is expected to be deployed for the opening ceremony, taking up positions on every vantage point from the roof to the turnstiles.
Most will be armed with the Heckler and Koch MP5 machine-gun favoured by UK police forces, while others will have the longer, sniper’s version of the gun, designed to fire single, highvelocity rounds with great accuracy.
According to senior police insiders, every group from Al Qaeda to dissident Irish republicans is already being monitored closely in case of any plots to disrupt the Games.
Labour MSP Graeme Pearson, who as a former Assistant Chief Constable was in charge of a major security operation when French President Jacques Chirac came to Glasgow in 1996, said: ‘The police in Glasgow have a very good track record in dealing with things in a relaxed yet disciplined and professional way.’
Although Buckingham Palace declined to comment officially on the Queen’s attendance, one courtier said: ‘Her Majesty fully intends to be at the opening ceremony in Glasgow.’