Alex Salmond’s Family Expresses Pride Amidst Grief

The niece of Alex Salmond has conveyed her family’s profound pride in her uncle, noting that they are still grappling with the suddenness of his passing. Christina Hendry made these remarks in anticipation of a memorial service scheduled for the former first minister, set to occur this Saturday in Edinburgh. The event will be broadcast live from St Giles’ Cathedral starting at 11:00, with attendees including Salmond’s family, friends, and former political associates. Salmond passed away from a heart attack at the age of 69 on 12 October. The former leader of the SNP and Alba parties, who governed the nation from 2007 to 2014, fell ill during his attendance at an international conference held in North Macedonia. Ms Hendry stated that his family is “doing OK” and “doing what uncle Alex would tell us to do and just keeping going”. She explained that extensive planning was required, encompassing the repatriation of his body and the organization of both the funeral, held on 29 October in Aberdeenshire, and the upcoming memorial service this weekend. She remarked, “I’m not sure there’s really been time to fully process things and fully grieve but as a family we’re sticking together, keeping close and keeping going.” “I think for anybody and for any family losing a loved one is really, really hard. It’s been especially difficult because of where he died but also how high-profile he was and I think that’s come with challenges.” She further commented, “There’s no escape. It’s also in the media a lot and I’m not sure that’s allowed time to actually process things ourselves as a family.” Ms Hendry noted that the preceding weeks have also brought positive aspects, as the family has received numerous messages concerning her uncle. Following his death, she visited Holyrood to observe the book of condolence and the tributes offered by the public. “It has given us a chance to think back on everything he did and just how, I think, how proud we are of him and everything he did,” she stated. Ms Hendry is scheduled to speak at the memorial service, an event that will also include musical performances by Dougie MacLean and The Proclaimers. “Uncle Alex always spoke about his love for Scotland and I think that’s what we’re going with. We knew how much uncle Alex loved Scotland, loved Scottish culture, loved the Scottish arts. “We want it to be about Scotland and about uncle Alex and how much he valued Scotland and saw Scotland’s potential for the future for independence,” she explained. Tributes are slated to be given by Kenny MacAskill, a long-standing ally of Salmond who became a member of the Alba Party alongside him, and by Duncan Hamilton KC, a former SNP MSP who is now an advocate. Fergus Ewing, a veteran SNP MSP, will present a reading from Violet Jacob’s “The Wild Geese.” Sir David Davis, a Conservative MP who maintained a lengthy friendship with Salmond, is set to deliver a Bible reading. A statement released by Salmond’s family earlier this month conveyed: “The family are overwhelmed by the level of public interest in attending Alex’s memorial service.” The statement continued, “Sadly, we cannot accommodate everyone who would like to attend but are pleased to say that the event will be live-streamed from St Giles’ Cathedral.” The Memorial Service can be viewed live from St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh via the BBC News website and BBC iPlayer, commencing at 10:30 on Saturday 30 November. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external sites. Information concerning their external linking policy is provided.