By Ilaf Maheedaf

AN INDEPENDENT Scotland will have to hand back Shetland and Orkney according to Denmark’s British Ambassador.

In partnership with Norway’s King Harald V, the Danish regent Queen Margrethe II intends reviving the ancient rites of Udal Law which were ratified by the Scottish parliament in 1567.

According to Udal law, the Scottish parliament is legally bound to return the islands to Norway upon repayment of the Kalmar Union dowry following the betrothal of Margaret of Denmark to King James III of Scotland in 1468.

The Danish Queen claims to have in her possession authenticated copies of the 1575-7 Orkney & Shetland Lawbooks which allow the islands to revert to their previous territorial possession under the Kalmar Union.

Every copy of these books were believed destroyed by an agent of the Scottish crown, Patrick Stuart, around 1579.

But acclaimed Danish historian Olaf Gerritupyeson discovered copies of the books in the Soviet wartime archives in Moscow.

He believes the Nazis looted the historical lawbooks after the occupation of Denmark by the Wehrmacht in 1940.

Read the full blog post here.