The Queen's former Piper, Scott Methven, has revealed that the late monarch had been making plans for the upcoming Ghillies Ball at the end of the month ahead of her sad passing on Thursday.
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Speaking to the PA news agency, the Pipe Major explained that the Queen had invited him to Balmoral Castle for the annual event, which was due to be held on September 22.
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Talking about her death, he said: "I was devastated, it feels like I have lost a member of my family. The Queen had invited me up on September 22 to stay and attend the next Ghillies Ball so I was going up in a couple of weeks."
Mr Methven, who was the Queen's Piper until 2019, also said that he had contacted "people in the know" at the Palace to inquire about his former employer after seeing the "frail" pictures of the sovereign shaking hands with the new Prime Minister Liz Truss on Tuesday.
He said he "had an inkling something wasn't quite right" and was waiting at the airport in Naples, Italy when he heard the news of her passing.
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"I was devastated," he said. "It was my daughter who phoned me and she was crying. As my daughter put it, it felt like she (the Queen) was the only one who cared about our family.
The Queen was planning the upcoming Ghillies Ball later this month
"She was the one who said I could leave my kids in Balmoral Castle, she said go and sit in the hospital with your wife."
Opening up about his "great relationship" with the Queen, he spoke of her "quick wit". "It was just always one-liners, I had so much sort of banter with the Queen, it was great," he said.
The Queen sadly passed away on Thursday
"The first time when I was appointed, she turned around and said to me ‘Look, the only reason you got this job is because 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."
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