Over the seven decades of the queen’s reign, the British public has known many of her fads: her corgis, her hats, her waving. But when the nation gathered for her funeral on Monday, they witnessed a lesser-known element of the queen’s life: her piper.
For most of her reign, the queen was awakened by the sound of bagpipes being played under her window – in all her residences across the country. The Piper to the Sovereign, Piper to the Sovereign, has functioned for decades as a personal alarm clock, ringing for 15 minutes every morning as well as on state occasions.
But on Monday (19), the piper will have a different role. The music that signaled the start of the queen’s mornings will now signal the end of her funeral as he plays a final lament as the coffin is lowered into the royal vault beneath St George’s Chapel in the Windsor Castle.
The flutist will play from the door between the chapel and the Rector’s Cloister. Meanwhile, he will begin to walk slowly towards the Deanery so that the music inside the chapel gradually disappears. It’s a moment filled with symbolism as it reflects a similar ending to Prince Philip’s funeral last year.
Before the Windsor performance, the flutist ended the state funeral service at Westminster Abbey with a lament: “Sleep, dear, sleep.”
The Piper’s role for the Sovereign dates back to the reign of Queen Victoria. During a visit to the Scottish Highlands, she and her husband Prince Albert fell in love with sound. Since the role was created in 1843, there have been 17 main pipers.
On Monday (19), the song is being played by piper Paul Burns of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, who took office last year. He will play a lament as the queen’s coffin is buried.
Among the thousands of tributes paid to the Queen this week, one of the most moving came from Scott Methven, who served as the Queen’s piper from 2015 to 2019. In an interview with the BBC, Methven said he was “devastated” to learn of the Queen’s death. and recalled the many moments of kindness she showed during her four years of service.
Methven lost both his parents and his wife within eight months while serving as the queen’s piper. Speaking to the BBC, Methven recalled “being with the queen”, who said: “If you’re not here in the morning and you don’t play the bagpipes, then I know you’re out. Don’t wait to ask anyone, just go home if your family needs you because family comes first.”
“You know, Pipes,” continued the queen, “if anyone has a problem with that, tell them I said it was okay to go.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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