Later this year there will be a referendum in the country of Scotland to decide whether or not the country should remain part of the United Kingdom.

If Scotland does decide to leave the United Kingdom it's going to cause all kinds of problems, not least for the royal family.

Although the official position of the pro-independence Yes Scotland campaign is that Scotland will retain the monarchy, a senior Scottish minister has now raised the prospect of whether or not there should be a second referendum to decide whether the country should keep the Queen as head of state.

Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Minister, whose previous triumphs include releasing the Lockerbie bomber, made the comments at a public meeting last week.

Asked if Scotland could become a republic, the Sunday Post reported that he said the Scottish Government's official position was that “we will inherit the situation we have with the Queen as head of state in the ceremonial capacity that she has.”

“But it will be for the people of Scotland to decide,” he continued.

“If and when that would occur, if they wished to have a referendum, and we would hope we would become the government post-2016, it will be for whoever is in office then.”

The Scottish and English crowns were united in 1603 by James VI, who became King James I of England, more than a century before the political union.