The Queen’s Piper Honoured by King Charles and Given New Role

Major Paul Burns, also known as the Queen’s Piper, has been praised by King Charles for his deeply moving performance during the state funeral of Her Majesty last month.

The traditional lament, Sleep, dearie, sleep, was played by Paul as the congregation stood at the end of the funeral in London’s Westminster Abbey on September 19.

Lieutenant-General Nick Borton tweeted a letter from the monarch thanking the Army for their role during the period of mourning, revealing the King’s complimentary words for Paul.

In the letter, the King expressed his gratitude to the Army for their impeccable ceremonial and commended the Bearer Parties for their immense dignity and devotion.

He also praised the Queen’s Piper for playing an important and deeply moving role.

According to The Sun, Paul has been given a special new role as the official Piper for the new monarch.

He carried out his first official performance on Tuesday in Balmoral at the King’s Residence, Burquill House.

The publication also reported that Paul will now travel with Charles to wherever he stays in the UK, so that he is able to play outside his bedroom window at 9am every morning, as he did for the late monarch.

Paul of the Royal Regiment of Scotland became the Queen’s Piper Major in 2021, taking over from Piper Major Richard Grisdale.

Every morning at 9am Paul would play for fifteen minutes underneath her window at her residence, whether she was at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Holyrood House or Balmoral.

Paul was the seventeenth Piper to Her Majesty, concluding his duties with a heartbreaking rendition of Sleep, Dearie, Sleep at Westminster Abbey during her funeral last month, before the monarch’s coffin was lifted from the catapherlac and moved through the Great West Door.

Since her accession to the throne in 1952, the Queen has enjoyed the special custom of having a piper play for her.

Queen Victoria established the role in 1843, after discovering that the Marquess of Brethelbane had her own piper.

She said in a letter to her mother regarding the position, “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?”

Paul’s performance during the state funeral was not only a tribute to the Queen, but also a testament to the long-standing tradition of having a piper play for the monarch.

His new role as the official Piper for the new monarch is a great honour and recognition of his talent and dedication.

The King’s letter to the Army reflects the gratitude and appreciation for the efforts made during the period of mourning.

The Bearer Parties, formed from the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Grenadier Guards, were praised for their immense dignity and devotion.

Paul’s performance as the Queen’s Piper was also acknowledged as an important and deeply moving role.

It is heartening to see that the tradition of having a piper play for the monarch is still alive and well, with Paul continuing the legacy of his predecessors.

His new role as the official Piper for the new monarch is a continuation of this tradition and a testament to the importance of music in the royal household.