From council house to royal palace: My life as the Queen’s piper

Each morning at exactly nine o’clock, a little-known ritual takes place in grounds of where the Queen is in residence.

For 15 minutes, a lone piper in Highland uniform strikes up a selection of tunes below the monarch's window - a position called the Piper to the Sovereign.

Scottish veteran Pipe Major Scott Methven held the role for four years, a job often considered one of the most coveted in the piping world.

From humble beginnings growing up in Stirling, Scott joined the army and travelled the world. Upon returning from service in Afghanistan, he was chosen to be the Queen's personal piper from 2015 to 2019.

During his service, he was "thrust into the inner circle of the monarchy", playing at countless public and private occasions entertaining royalty, celebrities and visiting heads of state.

Video by Morgan Spence

With thanks to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum

  • Scotland