It’s 9am at Windsor Castle and outside her day-room window Queen Elizabeth II is serenaded with bagpipes. It may sound like a scene from Camelot, but there actually is a much coveted position of Piper to the Sovereign – currently held by Pipe Major Richard Grisdale from the Royal Regiment of Scotland. And in fact, the tradition is a bit more modern than King Arthur; it was established in 1843 by the Queen’s great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who loved the romance of the Scottish woodwind instruments.
I am reliably informed that Her Majesty is either finishing breakfast or at her work desk when the pipes blow, and even in COVID-19 lockdown, the soulful strains sing out and continue for an exacting 15 minutes each day. It’s a charming ritual that plays out in Windsor, Buckingham Palace and Balmoral – wherever Her Majesty lays her crown!
Ancient tradition mixed with the glittering grandeur and magic of royalty is what sets the monarchy apart from us, creating a world we love to gaze on. But what has kept the Queen running the show as Britain’s longest reigning monarch has been also ensuring a strong connection with the people.
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