EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Could Balmoral Castle be the official residence of the Scottish First Minister?

King Charles, in tribute to Alex Salmond, might wonder if Scotland’s first minister might have ended up living at Balmoral if he had accepted an offer from HM.

In 2008 it was reported that Charles had dinner with Salmond, who said that Charles offered Balmoral to the people of Scotland while keeping Birkhall close.

He also suggested that it could be the Prime Minister’s official residence.

Salmond refused to take the bait as the deeds would have remained in royal hands, with Charles retaining the right of residence on request.

As the plan could have installed Salmond’s successor Nicola Sturgeon as next door neighbor for nine years, is Charles secretly relieved?

In 2008 it was reported that Charles had dinner with Salmond. (King Charles pictured with Alex Salmond in 2011)

King Charles in tribute to Alex Salmond may wonder if Scotland’s first minister could have ended up living at Balmoral (pictured)

Salmond refused to take the bait as the deeds would have remained in royal hands, with Charles retaining the right of residence on request.

Fellow Scot Andrew Neil recalls breaking bread with Alex Salmond in London just three weeks ago.

“It was an epic lunch, it didn’t end until 7pm”, he says. ‘He was in good shape. Full of plans and plots. It was a bit of a trench. He even paid!’

Paul Mescal told Total Film: “Gaelic football has a physical robustness to it.” (Mescal attends Wimbledon tennis championships women’s final day in 2024)

Gladiator II star Paul Mescal says his skill as a soccer player in Ireland equipped him to fight in the Coliseum.

“Gaelic football has a physical robustness to it,” he tells Total Film.

“It got me used to hitting the floor and bouncing back. I loved throwing it around.

Didn’t he do it with Daisy Edgar-Jones in Normal People? But he wasn’t wearing football gear.

Zara Tindall’s husband Mike must have rolled his eyes at the ceiling of Windsor Castle after arranging a meeting between fellow rugby veteran James Haskell and William and Kate.

With his mother-in-law Princess Anne also at the fireside chat, Haskell was unhappy with the catering. “I was expecting big trays loaded with scones and exotic fruit cakes,” Haskell recalls.

“Instead I got a couple of broken high teas and what looked like half-eaten malted milk.”

Worse, Haskell produced his own M&S sandwich. “But when I started to eat it,” he adds, “someone appeared and pushed me into an aisle.”

With Charles still worrying that he might be ambushed by Britain’s colonial past, Starmer’s resolution of a colonial headache could not have come at a better time.

Starmer’s controversial handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has at least helped King Charles immensely at his upcoming Commonwealth summit in Samoa.

Under British control since 1810, the Chagos Islands have been a subject of discussion since 1965, when Mauritius gained independence.

His future was set to be hotly debated in Samoa.

With Charles still worrying that he might be ambushed by Britain’s colonial past, Starmer’s resolution of a colonial headache could not have come at a better time.

The King’s visit to Australia later this month may bring back bittersweet memories.

The late Queen formed an unlikely bond with Alex Salmond when, as Scotland’s first minister, she stayed at Balmoral. Prince Philip wasn’t so keen, urging staff after their annual march to “count the spoons”.