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King Charles honours Queen's piper with very special new role

The Queen passed away on 8 September

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King Charles gave the late Queen's official bagpipe player, Pipe Major Paul Burns, a special new role after he played at her funeral last month.

MORE: King Charles' big changes at Balmoral after the Queen's death revealed

According to the Sun, the musician will now be the official piper for the new monarch and carried out his first official performance on Tuesday in Balmoral at the King's residence, Birkall House.

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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.

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Peter, of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, became the Queen's Pipe Major in 2021, taking over from Pipe Major Richard Grisdale.

Pipe Major Burns played the lament at the Queen's funeral
Pipe Major Burns played the lament at the Queen's funeral

Every morning at 9am, Paul would play for 15 minutes underneath her window at her residence – whether she was at Buckingham palace, Windsor Castle, Holyroodhouse or Balmoral.

Paul was the 17th 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 catafalque and moved through the Great West Door.

It was a very fitting tribute the sound that had once woken her daily played her to eternal rest.

The Queen's funeral took place on 19 September
The Queen's funeral took place on 19 September

The Queen enjoyed the special tradition since her ascension to the throne in 1952.

The position was originally created by Queen Victoria in 1843 after she discovered the Marquess of Breadalbane has her own piper.

In a letter to her mother about the position, she wrote: "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."

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