The Piper to the Queen Mother was a position in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Royal Household in which the holder of the office was responsible for playing the

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

at the request of

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

. The position was established in 1953 and disbanded in 2002 following her death. The first Piper to the Queen Mother was Leslie de Laspee, Pipe Sergeant of the London Scottish of which the Queen Mother was honorary colonel. Soon afterwards he was appointed

Pipe Major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

. Subsequently, the position was held by the then current Pipe Major of the London Scottish. The principal duty was to play in the gardens of

Clarence House Clarence House is a royal residence on The Mall in the City of Westminster, London. It was built in 1825–1827, adjacent to St James's Palace, for the Duke of Clarence, the future king William IV. Over the years, it has undergone much exte ...

at 9am for 15 minutes on three mornings per week, and at state events as requested. There was no payment for these duties and the appointment was considered to be an honour. The pipers holding the position were: *1953–1975: P/Sgt (later PM) Leslie de Laspee *1975–1985: PM D. Duncan *1985–1990: PM John Spoore *1990–1999: PM Ian King *1999–2001: PM Christopher Macpherson *2001–2002: PM John Bracken Pipe Majors Spoore and Macpherson played at the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002. Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee played the role of private

Bill Millin William Millin (July 14, 1922 – August 18, 2010), ...

in the Holywood film The Longest Day (1962)."Dawlish D-Day veteran back in Normandy"
'' The Herald'', 6 June 2009, Bill Millin (1922–2010), who was personal piper to

Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat Brigadier Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, 4th Baron Lovat, (9 July 1911 – 16 March 1995) was a prominent British Commando during the Second World War and the 25th Chief of the Clan Fraser of Lovat. Known familiarly as Shim ...

, commander of 1 Special Service Brigade at

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

, is best remembered for playing the pipes whilst under fire during the D-Day landing in Normandy."Piper Bill Millin"
''Telegraph''

References

External links

Pipers to the Queen Mother
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piper To The Sovereign Positions within the British Royal Household Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother British military bands Pipe bands

See also

References

External links