The death of Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland indelibly links the nation to the handover to a new monarch, but her death also reignites the debate over Scotland’s independence from the UK.

Thousands of people stood for hours on Sunday to watch as the 96-year-old’s coffin made its way from her Balmoral estate to Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh and Charles was officially proclaimed king.

But there is a strong streak of republicanism in Scotland, and a few heckles could be heard amid the crowds lining the Royal Mile.

A 22-year-old woman was arrested for breach of the peace for holding a placard with an obscene anti-monarchy slogan just before the proclamation, while there were also some boos.

For some in the crowd, Elizabeth – and her son King Charles III – represent – the strength of the United Kingdom Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

She was “one of the things that held (the UK) together,” noted Archie Nicol, 67, who previously paid his respects at the royal estate of Balmoral, where the Queen died on Thursday.

Yet many others who expressed admiration for the late monarch saw this as separate from their desire to be an independent nation.

“The Queen clearly had respect for Scotland,” said Nicola Sandilands, 46, a primary school teacher.

“The royal family is just as Scottish as anything else,” she told AFP, urging them to become “more relevant and up to date”.

However, she acknowledged that the monarch’s death “may make it easier to become a republic”.

“Some Scots will see this end of an era as a natural moment for a new beginning,” Scottish journalist Alex Massie wrote in The Times.

The ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), which is calling for another independence referendum after the 2014 “No” vote, is calling for no republic.

Its founder, Alex Salmond, coined the term “Queen of Scots” and developed close ties with Charles.

And SNP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was quick to express her “deepest condolences” at the Queen’s death and praised her “extraordinary dedication and service”.

But moving to another England-based monarch – albeit one who was educated at a Scottish boarding school, has multiple Scottish residences and has a penchant for kilts – risks severing ties.

“The Union is probably in more danger now that it’s gone,” noted veteran journalist Andrew Neil in the Daily Mail newspaper.

“King Charles will love Scotland as much as the Queen. But he just doesn’t have her authority.”

A June poll by the British Future think tank found that 45 per cent of Scots supported the monarchy, while 36 per cent wanted a republic.

Meanwhile, 51 percent wanted to remain part of the UK.

Before becoming king, Charles was known for speaking out on a range of issues including climate change – a stance praised by the Scottish tabloid Daily Record, which urged him to make the environment his “defining mission” as king close.

But as a constitutional monarch, he will have to stay away from anything remotely political, especially independence.

“The passing of the crown is a moment of fragility, maybe even fragility,” noted Adam Tomkins, a constitutional lawyer and professor at the University of Glasgow, in The Herald newspaper.

The “burning question,” he said, is whether Charles “could emulate his mother in maintaining the discretion that makes or breaks the monarchy.”

Queen Elizabeth II has never spoken out about independence, although ahead of the 2014 referendum she told a member of the public that she hoped Scots would “consider the future very carefully”.

Then Prime Minister David Cameron was caught saying she “purred on the phone” as he announced the victory of the anti-independence campaign – an indiscretion for which he later apologized.

Charles will have his first audience with Sturgeon on Monday when he returns to Scotland to lead a procession of his mother’s coffin to St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh and then hold a vigil.

On Tuesday, her coffin will be flown to London for four days before the funeral on September 19.

Charles will also visit Northern Ireland and then Wales, concluding his all four nations tour in the UK.

Back in Edinburgh, Theresa Brown, a 51-year-old receptionist, said she was delighted he remained Scotland’s king.

“I want independence from Westminster mainly. I have nothing against the royal family,” she said.