In the aftermath of her passing, it was reported that Queen Elizabeth could speak the local dialect of Balmoral and the region around it. This dialect of the north-east of Scotland – called the Doric by local people –- is a distinctive, well-preserved form of the Scots language.
“Doric” is a term used across Europe during the Renaissance to refer to rougher, but more genuine forms of language, in comparison to the “Attic” of the cities, smart but corrupt. Today, the Doric is spoken across non-Gaelic Scotland and in pockets in the northernmost counties of Ireland.
Though a close relative of standard English, Scots has a different history, as I have shown in my book, A Sociolinguistic History of Scotland. It was the official language of the Scottish state in the 15th and 16th centuries, before being dialectalised under English, much like Occitan was under French, from the 17th century. This is the process by which a state language loses its social functions.
