QUEEN Elizabeth stopped George Osborne from closing the British Army’s bagpipe school.
The former Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer was speaking on the Political Currency podcast, which he co-hosts with his former Labour counterpart – Ed Balls.
Osborne claimed it was the only time the late Queen interfered in politics during his tenure.
He said: “I was at a state dinner and she came up to me and she said 'the Chief of the Defence Staff is unable to answer my question. He told me to go speak to the Defence Secretary. I went to see the Defence Secretary and he told me to come and speak to you. So I’m asking you – you’re not going to close the Highland Bagpipe School?’"
How Queen Elizabeth stopped @George_Osborne from making cuts to the Highland bagpipe school 🏴👸🏼 🎧 Listen to Political Currency: https://t.co/TeZdSYV87C pic.twitter.com/RnI4M9gHpC
— Political Currency (@polcurrency) November 5, 2023
The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, founded in 1920, is a British Army training establishment located near Redford Barracks in Edinburgh, that provides instruction on Scottish pipe band music to military pipers and drummers.
Osborne then responded: “Of course not, Your Majesty”. He then said he investigated and found out that cuts were indeed being made to the school and ordered them to be reversed.
He went on: “I immediately sent a message back to the palace that she could be reassured that the pipers of the British Army would remain well trained”.
