Piper: Scott Methven has played for the Queen since 2015
It is a tradition that dates back 175 years to her great great grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Every weekday since she came to the throne in 1952, the Queen has started her day to the sound of a lone piper playing beneath her bedroom window.
Members of the Royal Household can practically set their watches by the pipes, which start at precisely 9am and last for exactly 15 minutes.
But for the past five weeks the sound of silence has hung in the cool highland air at Balmoral, the Queen’s Scottish residence.
For the Piper to the Sovereign, Pipe Major Scott Methven of the 5 Scots Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, has sadly had to relinquish his duties unexpectedly for family reasons.
‘The Queen was very understanding and compassionate and agreed that Scott should stop his duties immediately,’ said a Balmoral source.
‘She totally understood his position and told him not to worry.’
Pipe Major Methven, who became only the 15th piper to hold the post when he was appointed in 2015, left straight away.
And while the Queen wouldn’t have had it any other way, the downside is that for the first time since 1843 (aside from four years during the Second World War), the monarch has no official bagpipe player.
‘Unfortunately because it happened so unexpectedly no replacement was available, so there has been no piping for the past five weeks,’ the source explained.
‘It’s really strange because everyone is just so used to it and for the first few days it was really weird not to hear the sound.
Balmoral: Five weeks without a bagpiper giving the 9am alarm call for 15 minutes
‘People can hear the pipes around the estate. It creates a really lovely, evocative atmosphere and sets you up for the day.
‘For the Queen, who hears the noise most days, it must seem very odd. She often has her breakfast and reads the papers while the piper is playing.
‘It is just part of her normal day and I expect she looks forward to getting a new one but she totally understood Scott’s position. He is incredibly highly regarded by the Royal Household and the Royal Family.’
The position of Piper to the Sovereign was established after Queen Victoria discovered that the Marquess of Breadalbane had his own personal piper.
Predecessors: Alexander MacDonald, left, (1945-1966) and Andrew Pitkeathly (1966-1973)
Traditionally, the post is held by a serving non-commissioned officer and Pipe Major from a Scottish or Irish Regiment.
Of the 15 pipers, 11 have been in the present Queen’s reign, including Alexander MacDonald, who served from 1945 to 1966, and his successor Andrew Pitkeathly, who served until 1973.
The piper’s principal duty is to play under the Queen’s window when she is at Buckingham Palace, Windsor, Holyroodhouse or Balmoral, but he also co-ordinates Army pipers who play after state banquets and escorts the Queen to the audiences she has throughout the day.
A new piper is now hurriedly being lined up and will, it is hoped, start when the Queen returns to London after her holiday in Scotland.
Pipers are personally interviewed by the monarch to see if their personalities will match, as the two interact so regularly. It is said her piper travels with her even more than her husband.
Most remain tight-lipped about their posts but Gordon Webster, who held the title in the 1990s, once said: ‘Because the Queen doesn’t like you repeating the same tunes every day I had about 700 stored in my head.’
And Max Stewart, who has also piped for the Queen, said: ‘At Balmoral you have got to try to not repeat a tune the whole trip – which is quite an achievement.’