King Charles woken by bagpipe 'alarm clock' just like the Queen

The sovereign's piper at Clarence House. Credit: Royal Family/Twitter

A human bagpipe alarm woke King Charles and the rest of Clarence House on Tuesday morning, as the monarch continued a tradition begun by Queen Victoria and enjoyed by his mother.

His Majesty’s Pipe Major played for the first time in the Clarence House garden as the King woke up in residence.

The Royal Family tweeted a video of the piper serenading those inside the royal residency.

During the Queen's lifetime, the piper would play the bagpipes at 9am for 15 minutes when she was in residency at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, or Balmoral.The position was created by great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria in 1843, and Queen Elizabeth enjoyed the special tradition following her Accession to the Throne in 1952.

The King and the Queen Consort during the ceremonial procession following the Queen’s state funeral Credit: Jane Barlow/PA

Piper to the Sovereign is a position that has been held continually since Queen Victoria's reign - apart from a gap during the Second World War.

Queen Victoria had been taken with the idea of having her own personal piper during a visit to Balmoral.

Queen Elizabeth II's piper also played at special events, and would accompany her to various audiences.

The sovereign’s piper, Pipe Major Paul Burns played his final tune for Her Majesty with a lament during the her committal service in September.


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