The Queen’s Piper at Buckingham Palace THE QUEEN’S PIPER The position of Queen’s Piper is one of the highest accolades available to a piper serving in the Armed Forces. The Piper is a member of the Royal Household whose principal duty is to play every weekday at 9am for about fifteen minutes under The Queen’s window when she is in residence at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse or Balmoral Castle. He is responsible for the co-ordination of the twelve Army pipers who play around the table after State Banquets. The Pipe Major also acts as an Honorary Page of the Presence at events such as audiences, garden parties, Investitures, State functions and receptions. It is his job to escort The Queen to the various audiences that she has throughout the day. In 1965 it was decided that the post would be given to a serving soldier and experienced army Pipe Major on secondment, who would retain his army status and pay although becoming a member of the Master of the Household’s Department at Buckingham Palace. Since then, The Queen’s Pipers have all been serving Pipe Majors. The current holder of the post is WO1 Pipe Major Alistair Cuthbertson, the 12th personal Piper to the Sovereign in 164 years and was Pipe Major of the 1st Battalion The Royal Scots on taking up the post. The history of the post dates back to the time of Queen Victoria. She first heard bagpipe music in 1842, when she and Prince Albert visited the Highlands for the first time. They stayed at Taymouth Castle with the Marquess of Breadalbane who had his own personal piper. Queen Victoria was much taken with the idea, writing to her mother: “We have heard nothing but bagpipes since we have been in the beautiful Highlands and I have become so fond of it that I mean to have a Piper, who can if you like it, pipe every night at Frogmore.” |
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Sovereign’s Pipers since 1843 The Queen wrote that he played for the hour it took to build the cairn and “some merry reels were danced on a stone opposite”. In 1854, Angus MacKay was replaced by Pipe Major William Ross who had served in the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment, the Black Watch. In a memorandum of 1854, the Piper’s duties were clearly indicated and included taking his turn of duty with the footman in the garden in the morning, waiting at dinner if required and receiving visitors to dinner. In those days there was often more than one piper. When Queen Victoria died at Osborne on the Isle of Wight in January 1901, two personal pipers took part in the first stage of her funeral procession. After Queen Victoria’s death, successive monarchs retained the services of a piper. Since 1965 the post has been awarded to a serving soldier and experienced army Pipe Major on secondment, who retains his army status and pay although becoming a member of the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace. Queen Victoria Balmoral Castle SUGGESTED LINKS |
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