Twenty four year old Lance Corporal Douglas Warren from Duns, had the honour of playing in front of Her Majesty The Queen on Wednesday, March 3 at Buckingham Palace, the occasion being a State Banquet to mark the visit of the President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma.

Lance Corporal Warren along with 11 other pipers, all instructors or students at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming which is celebrating its centenary year, played at the event, which marked the first time the school had been handed the honour of being the Sovereign's Pipers at a State Banquet.

The pipers had been rehearsing at their headquarters based at Redford Infantry Barracks, Edinburgh, where they marched in and around the headquarters to try and recreate the Buckingham Palace setting prior to playing at the royal event.

Commenting on his experience, Lance Corporal Warren said: "It was a great honour for me personally, and the piping and drumming school in its centenary year.

"It is the first time the school has been given the honour to play at a State Banquet in front of Her Majesty and we rehearsed at the headquarters to make sure that we got it right on the night, and I am confident that we did.

"The piping school's 12 pipers were drawn from different Regiments in the British Army giving a wonderful, colourful spectacle with all the different uniforms when we played at the State Banquet."

When he is not attached to the piping and drumming school Lance Corporal Warren is a tank driver with the Royal Dragoon Guards which has their headquarters in Catterick.

Since joining up in 2001, the former Berwickshire High School pupil, has served in Iraq, Falkland Islands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Russia, and the USA.