has met as her week-long trip to protect the Union continues today, and told the First Minister she was delighted to be back in Scotland for the first time since Prince Philip died.

The women, both wearing light blue, held a socially distanced meeting at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, this afternoon.

The Queen received Ms Sturgeon just after midday, telling her ‘it’s lovely to have you back here’ and that ‘a year’s gap is incredible’ — a nod to her shielding at Windsor Castle with her late husband.The First Minister smiled and replied: ‘It’s great to see you in person after so long. It’s lovely to have you back here’.

Her Majesty beckoned the SNP leader to take a seat and remarked on the gap between the chairs saying: ‘It’s still rather distanced I’m afraid’. Ms Sturgeon replied: ‘Well that’s very wise’ and nodded when the monarch said: ‘You must be quite used to that’.

Her Majesty was animated during their chat, smiling and waving her arms as she listened to Ms Sturgeon before receiving Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone.

The Queen is leading a Royal charm offensive to help persuade Scotland to resist the demands of nationalists for independence — with the Duke and playing a key supporting role.

The trip, which is being discreetly backed by , began yesterday with a trip to the Irn Bru factory in Cumbernauld with Prince William accompanying his grandmother and even trying some of ‘Scotland’s other national drink’.

William was at a shipyard on the Clyde today and earlier this year gave a deeply personal speech in which he described the ‘special place’ that Scotland had in his heart, a country which he said held both some of his ‘happiest memories’ and his ‘saddest’.

It was at Balmoral where he learned of the death of his mother Diana, in 1997.And it was at St Andrews where he met and fell in love with Kate Middleton.

Ahead of the Queen’s meeting with the First Minister, there is a background of tension dating back years since they first met seven years ago.

Just last December furious Tories hit out at Ms Sturgeon’s ‘swipe’ at Prince William and Kate Middleton over their whistle-stop trip to Scotland.

The Scottish leader revealed at a daily briefing that the country’s government had reminded the Palace of the strict Covid restrictions north of the border ahead of the couple’s morale boosting tour.Travelling across the border at the time was permitted for work purposes and royal sources said that was exactly Opening what to give the trip was, but Ms Sturgeon chose to warn them anyway.