King Charles and Queen Camilla pay tribute to Alex Salmond's 'devotion to Scotland'

and have paid a heartfelt tribute to Scotland's former First Minister Alex Salmond, who died at the age of 69 on Saturday.

Mr Salmond had been giving a speech in North Macedonia, with a source telling the Daily Record's Sunday Mail that .

The King said in a message issued by Buckingham Palace: "My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond.

"His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service. We extend our deep condolences to his family and loved ones at this time."

Mr Salmond is the former First Minister of who led the Scottish National Party between 1990 and 2000 and then again led Scotland as First Minister between 2004 and 2014.

He was a prominent figure in the world of Scottish politics paving the way for the 2014 referendum which almost led to .

The former First Minister previously launched his rival Scottish independence party, Alba, in 2021 after his souring relationship with his successor .

Mr Salmond had made a speech at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum in North Macedonia when he

It is believed Mr Salmond had been visiting the country to speak at a conference in the city of Ohrid.

"He took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an independent country," said John Swinney, Scotland's First Minister and leader.

"I am shocked and sorry to learn of Alex Salmond's death," added the former first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon.

"Obviously, I cannot pretend that the events of the past few years which led to the breakdown of our relationship did not happen, and it would not be right for me to try.

"However, it remains the fact that for many years Alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life. He was my mentor, and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in UK politics."