Piper to the Sovereign

The Piper to the Sovereign (or the Queen's Piper) is a position in the British Royal Household in which the holder of the office is responsible for playing the bagpipes at the Sovereign's request.

The position was established in 1843 when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited the Marquess of Breadalbane at Taymouth Castle a year earlier and discovered the Marquess had his own personal piper. The Queen was taken with the idea of having one for herself, writing to her mother, the Dowager Duchess of Kent:


 * 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.

The office has been held continuously since then (apart from a brief interruption during World War II) and the piper's main duty is to play in the garden of whichever royal residence The Queen is at during breakfast and on state occasions.


 * 1843–1854: Angus MacKay
 * 1854–1891: William (Uilleam) Ross, not to be confused with the 20th century Guards piper of the same name.
 * 1891–1910: James Campbell
 * 1910–1941: Henry Forsyth
 * 1941–1945: vacant
 * 1945–1965: Alexander MacDonald
 * 1965–1973: Andrew Pitkeathly
 * 1973–1980: David Caird
 * 1980–1995: Brian MacRae
 * 1995–1998: Gordon Webster
 * 1998–2003: Jim Motherwell
 * 2003–2006: Jim Stout
 * 2006–2008: Alastair Cuthbertson
 * 2008–2012: Derek Potter
 * 2012–present: David Rodgers, Irish Guards