No need to kill it off. And please don't take criticism too much to heart, its part of going public on any forum, by doing so we have to accept that we'll be asked to justify our ideas. Its not a question of offending or being offended here; I simply questioned a view you posted that was not part of the AU, rather, as a fact. And you may have noticed that I posted a LOL when I mentioned Queen Mitzi, which also happens to be my wife's name (though I usually refer to her as Lady Portsmouth).
It might actually be useful to define what we are doing when we post any AU. I would say that the common perception on all forums like ours is that any AU has some justification, and is not posted for fun. Otherwise, it might be better to make it very clear from the start, but that begs the question of why we are posting anyway? I don't think that the AU you are working on here is fundamentally flawed; the concept of an independent Scotland would be an excellent basis for developing its armed forces; so I'll wish you good luck
I'm sorry to hear about your daughter, and I know everyone here will be thinking of you and your wife at this time. If you can put up with the rough and tumble of Shipbucket, I hope it allows you some distraction from your troubles
All the very Best
Bill