(LONDON) — Queen Elizabeth II has made her first comments about this week’s Scottish independence vote, urging Scots to “think very carefully about the future.” But the popular British monarch didn’t indicate a preference on how Scots should vote, carefully maintaining the neutrality that is her constitutional obligation. Still, some may interpret her comments as a suggestion that Scots looking to embrace independence should be cautious about severing Scotland’s long ties to the United Kingdom, which date back more than 300 years. The queen spoke after a Sunday church service near her Balmoral estate in Scotland.