Why this man won't be king of an independent Scotland

Although there will be far more pressing decisions to be made should the people of Scotland vote to break away from the Union next week, one will be whether to retain the monarchy.

Republican factions aside, the Scottish National Party supports keeping the Queen as head of state, so the first, and by far the most likely choice will be for Elizabeth II to remain as the Queen of an independent Scotland, in the same way that she is for Australia or Canada.

Secondly, Scotland could choose to become a republic and forgo a royal family altogether.

Or, the third, final, and joking aside basically completely unfeasible option, as pointed out by Simon Heffer in the Daily Mail (bear with us), is that the Duke of Bavaria could actually become king.

That's right, Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern, Franz for short, is thought to be the rightful heir to King James VII of Scotland (James II of England).

The Catholic King James was deposed by the Protestant William of Orange in 1688 in the Glorious Revolution. The subsequent Act of Settlement (1701) banned Catholics from the British monarchy.

Should a newly independent Scotland choose to repeal this act, they could reinstate James's bloodline to the monarchy and make Herzog von Bayern, King Franz I.

Your move, Scotland.

More: Your questions about an independent Scotland, answered

HT Jess Brammar