\n \u201cI recall my audience with her at Balmoral just a couple of weeks after the allegations about Alex Salmond<\/a> had become public. I had assumed she wouldn\u2019t mention it, but was worried that it might then be an elephant in the room. I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cShe asked me about it almost as soon as I sat down. She wasn\u2019t being trivial in any way, but it was clear that she wanted to know more of what was going on.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n Elsewhere, Sturgeon described what she says was the only time she ever felt \u201cslightly aggrieved towards a senior royal\u201d, in this instance Prince William.\n<\/p>\n \n The former first minister recalled meeting William in 2021 and having a cordial conversation, but added: \u201cWe didn\u2019t talk about politics at all.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n However, she then went on: \u201cA couple of days later, it was revealed by Channel 4 News that he\u2019d had a private meeting with Gordon Brown at Holyrood Palace<\/a> \u2026\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThe fact that the meeting had been unpublicised and had taken place in the wake of Gordon setting up the anti-independence think tank, Our Scottish Future, inevitably raised questions.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n \n The revelations about private conversations with the royals have sparked anger in some quarters.\n<\/p>\n \n The Express reported Joe Little, managing editor at Majesty Magazine, attacking the former SNP<\/a> leader under the headline: \u201cNicola Sturgeon<\/a> ‘crossed the line’ by revealing private conversations with late Queen Elizabeth.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n “Nicola Sturgeon is the latest in a growing line of trusted ministers \u2013 David Cameron and Boris Johnson among the more recent \u2013 to reveal observations made by Queen Elizabeth II during an off-the-record conversation,\u201d Little said.\n<\/p>\n \n READ MORE:<\/strong>\u00a0Disgraced Prince Andrew should be stripped of all royal titles, UK voters say<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n “There is a line that one should not cross, regardless of whether the monarch is living or deceased, but clearly the temptation to defy convention can be overwhelming if the indiscretion draws attention to one’s agenda.”\n<\/p>\n \n Former Labour MP Tom Harris, now a Telegraph columnist, noted that the Scottish ministerial code says that ministers should not disclose details from private meetings, \u201cincluding those with the monarch\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cNot that many people will care, but three pages of descriptions of private conversations with the Queen is \u2026 ill-advised. Literally,\u201d Harris wrote.\n<\/p>\n \n Not that many people will care, but three pages of descriptions of private conversations with the Queen is. . . ill-advised. Literally. https:\/\/t.co\/tbijx1QdOv<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZFRYXLI5ms<\/a>\n <\/p>\nFormer Labour prime minister Gordon Brown set up an anti-independence think tank\u201cFollowing the Channel 4 revelation, William obviously felt the need to explain the reason for the meeting. However, the comment issued by his office was, to put it mildly, disingenuous.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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