Commonwealth Games viewers on Channel 5 said the “best bit” was over too soon as they caught Scottish National Party leader John Swinney forced to sing the National Anthem. The SNP politician, who is campaigning for Scottish independence away from the rest of the United Kingdom, stood up to sing God Save the King as King Charles himself made a grand entrance.
The monarch arrived alongside Queen Camilla in Doctor Who’s TARDIS after a three-and-a-half minute sketch, as the audience stood to sing the anthem. And viewers online couldn’t get enough, with some branding it the “best Commonwealth Games ever” after the viral moment.
Social media reaction
One viewer tweeted: “Swinney singing the national anthem is absolute TV gold. Best Commonwealth Games ever already.” Someone else agreed: “The best part of this, apart from the obvious, is that Swinney has to sit three seats down from Burnham for the next two hours and not say anything. Absolute bants.”
A third giggled: “Was that John Swinney singing the National Anthem?” While another posted: “Great to see that Channel 5 is giving zero camera time to Swinney at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Exactly as it should be!”
Political context
It comes just hours after prime minister Andy Burnham was forced to tell Swinney that a second Scottish independence referendum will not go ahead, and Labour will not grant the Section 30 order which would give Holyrood power to launch a fresh bid. Swinney was aiming to hold another referendum by 2028 after the Scottish National Party won a comfortable majority in the Holyrood election in May 2026.
If Scotland were to win independence, it would mean getting a new national anthem for it as a sovereign country. Draft conference plans back in 2024 revealed a debate on the anthem would take place – rather than a debate on why the SNP lost the general election.
