The Queen would remain head of state in an independent Scotland, Ian Blackford has insisted.
The SNP's leader at Westminster rejected claims there would be a referendum on whether to retain the monarchy if a majority of Scots backed ending the Union in the future.
The party's position ahead of the 2014 referendum was to retain the Queen as head of state if Scotland declared independence - but since then many party members have called for the issue to be decided by a vote in the future.
SNP MP Patrick Grady did not rule out axing the Queen as Scotland’s sovereign during a talk in 2020 as he claimed “it would be for the people of Scotland to decide this eventually”.
When asked about the prospect of a referendum on the Royals, Blackford said: “The Queen will remain head of state in an independent Scotland.”
The MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber also refused to say whether Andrew should be stripped of his Duke of York title as a result of the settlement of his legal battle with Virginia Giuffre.
He said: “I think it has been a challenging time for the Queen, hasn’t it?
“I don’t want to get into issues of individuals within the royal family. I think all of us have got to be responsible for our own obligations and responsibilities.”
Blackford also said an IndyRef2 should “take place in a timely manner” but the short-term focus must be on Ukraine.
He added the party must be “respectful of the responsibilities” it has following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, adding he remains committed to delivering on the independence mandate.
But the MP cautioned those wanting immediate progress on organising a second vote on independence to be “mindful of where we are” given events elsewhere in the world.
Nicola Sturgeon last month confirmed “preparatory work is under way” to enable a second referendum to be held.
But just weeks later Vladimir Putin launched his long-feared “full-scale invasion” of Ukraine to the shock of governments around the world.
Blackford weighed his words carefully when asked about his party’s plans for independence.
He said: “We have got to be respectful of the situation that we are in”.
The MP added: “We have got to be respectful of the responsibilities that we have in the short term, but I’m also respectful to the principle that we have a mandate for an independence referendum.
“I want that referendum to take place in a timely manner. I want us to be able to execute the mandate that we have.
“To those that are expressing a desire for us to get on with our job, of course, we will do so, but we have to be mindful of where we are.”
When pressed further on whether IndyRef2 will be delayed by the war in Ukraine - just like it was by the Covid-19 pandemic Blackford said: “Well, we have to play the ball where it lies just now and the only thing that I’m focusing on today is Ukraine.”
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