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Three P.A. pipe band members set to perform, present to Royal Family in Scotland

Aug 6, 2018 | 2:00 PM

Among thousands of patrons, highland dancers, pipers, drummers, heavy athletics and celebration of all things Scottish at the Braemar Gathering in Scotland this September will be three men from Prince Albert.

Derek Sinclair, Michael McLaughlan, and David Monette from the Prince Albert Highlanders Pipes and Drums will join fellow Canadians in the Pipes and Drums of Canada convoy set to perform at the Gathering, which has been regularly attended by the Royal Family since 1848 when Queen Victoria first made an appearance.

The Gathering, which is the most famous and best-attended Highland Games in Scotland, dates back 900 years. This site is iconic, rich in history, and located at the bottom of heather-clad mountains. 

The groups performance on Sept. 1 is part of a fifteen-day tour of Scotland by the troupe, which will include appearances in places like St. Andrews and Carlyle.

Further to taking the stage for the Royal Family – already a once-in-a-lifetime experience – Sinclair expects to present Her Majesty with an official document to bring greetings on behalf of the pipe band and the province of Saskatchewan.

“It is humongous,” Sinclair said, more so as a Glasgow native. “[I have] always liked the Royal Family, but have never been near them. This has got to be, I would say, the highlight of my pipe band career; touring Scotland and seeing the Queen and presenting her with greetings.”

Sinclair has family in the country and expects they will be watching.

“It is a big one,” he added.

The site of the Braemar Gathering is just a short distance from the Royal Family’s annual summer retreat, the Balmoral Castle. The 50,000-acre estate has been the Scottish home for the Royal Family since 1852 when it was bought for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert.

While not performing in it, the men will also have a chance to experience the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at the historic Edinburgh Castle. Here, performers from across the world take part in a live musical extravaganza that coincides with the Edinburgh International and Fringe Festival.

 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr