Salmond recalls how Queen shared ‘very successful’ racing tips with him
The former Scottish first minister said he and the monarch often spoke about horse racing during their meetings.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has paid tribute to the Queen, as he recalled how she shared “very successful” racing tips with him.
Mr Salmond said he and the Queen often spoke about horse racing during their meetings.
And the former SNP leader, who now leads the pro-independence Alba Party, recalled their “extensive and freewheeling” discussions “with no subject out of bounds”.
He said: “She had a great love of Scotland and enormous regard for her people.
“I suspect that of all her 15 prime ministers and 15 first ministers in her record-breaking reign, I was the only one to whom she shared her racing tips – and very successful they were too.”