A coffin draped in the Saltire. Not for the return of a prince, a president or a prime minister.
It was not the remains of a fallen soldier brought home to Scotland today.
This was the repatriation of a political fighter and former first minister — perhaps the most formidable champion of Scottish independence in recent times.
As the coffin bearing Alex Salmond’s body was flown home by charter plane from North Macedonia – there were hints of a state occasion.
The honour guard and the red carpet on departure, the piper on arrival at Aberdeen.
But Mr Salmond was a private citizen. His flight home a gift from the businessman, Sir Tom Hunter. This was principally a family reunion to which the TV cameras were permitted.
The former first minister did not live to see his dream of Scottish statehood. The referendum, a decade ago, was the peak of his political career.
The independence question he did so much to animate may or may not be revisited in future but with his passing, it is now for others to carry that torch.
