The Queen left a huge mark on the people around her, but as did many others around her. Joining this list is Major Scott Methven who was the Piper for The Royal Family from 2015 to 2019. Methven recalls his time in the palace and how The Queen was always supportive of him.
He recently revealed how the longest-living monarch would tell him to go home if the family needed it.
Scott said that there came a time in his life when he had to look after his mother and wife who were terminally ill. He was there in the palace, but The Queen insisted that if the situation arises and he needs to leave then he is free to do so.
She even pacified him and told him that if anyone objects, then he can take her name as it’s my request and command. He said:
“I was standing with the Queen and she said ‘If you’re not here in the morning and you don’t play the bagpipes, then I know you’re away. Don’t wait to ask anyone, just go home if your family needs you because it’s family first. She grabbed me by the arm again and said ‘you know Pipes if anyone has a problem with that you tell them that I said it was okay to go.
While she was never commanding, she always knew how to make people feel better. Scott recalled an incident when then Prince of Wales and now King Charles III asked him to play AC/DC. It so happened that the invited guests were not there on time and the King wanted to have some fun when the guests arrived.
He said that it was a pleasure to talk to the Queen who would be so helpful and respectful in all her actions and words. Mr. Methven said:
I remember one night, it was just the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and several other members of the family. The invited guests hadn’t arrived so I said I would mix it up and I did movies on the bagpipes. “I would go around the tables and it would be like Top Gun and the Prince of Wales (now King Charles) had asked if I could do AC/DC ‘Thunderstruck’.
Methven called his banter with the Queen the best. The Four years at Buckingham Palace turned out to be some of his best memories. He said that he was devastated when his daughter told him about the Queen’s death. It’s understandable to have such an emotion when you have had a quality relationship with someone and they suddenly pass away.
He said his initial banter with the Queen was a bit odd:
The first time when I was appointed, she turned around and said to me ‘Look, the only reason you got this job is that you’re the same height as me’ and then she just walked away. I didn’t expect it from the Queen if that makes sense. She set the bar so I continued with it and we just used to have a laugh. She was just the most easy-going person to work for.
