Marking Seventy Years for Gordonstoun Pipers and the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Tuesday 28 April 2026
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Gordonstoun’s Pipe Band welcomed His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to unveil a new Pipe Banner bearing his badge. The visit marked the band’s 70th anniversary and celebrated 70 years of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, founded at the school. |
Royal Visit Marks Pipe Band and DofE Milestones at Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun’s Pipe Band today welcomed His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to the school to formally unveil a new Pipe Banner emblazoned with The Duke of Edinburgh’s badge.
A former pupil of the Moray school, The Duke of Edinburgh’s badge joins the crests and arms already displayed by pipe banners in the band, including those of his father. The initiative is to mark the band’s recent 70th anniversary.
The new Pipe Banner will be carried by Gordonstoun’s student pipe major and has been approved by The Court of the Lord Lyon – Scotland’s Heraldic Authority.
During the official visit to Gordonstoun, His Royal Highness also took part in a special event to mark the 70th celebrations of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). The school is the birthplace of The DofE after Prince Philip set it up at the instigation of Gordonstoun founder Kurt Hahn. This early version of the scheme eventually evolved to become a national programme in 1956.
Today, The Duke toured several presentation stands and met around 40 young people from Gordonstoun and other DofE centres in the area, including Elgin High School, Kinloss explorers (Scouts), Moray Open Award Centre, the University of Highlands and Islands, Elgin Academy, Buckie High School and Milnes High School.
His Royal Highness, who achieved his own Gold Award in 1986, also heard a short presentation by former Elgin Academy pupil Finlay McLuckie, 18, about his DofE journey to completing Gold.
Gordonstoun’s Pipe Band now has more than 150 students piping and drumming in the school every week. The Pipe Band itself has between 35 and 40 students from eight different nationalities, including Swiss and Brazilian, aged between eight and 18 years.
HM The King played the chanter as a student at the school and awarded the Band special commemorative medals for playing the pipes during the Coronation celebrations in Scotland in 2023.
Gordonstoun Head Simon Cane-Hardy said:
“The Gordonstoun Pipe Band is extremely proud of its association with the Royal Family, playing regularly at the annual Braemar Gatherings attended by HM The King and HM Queen Elizabeth II before him.
“In 2023, the band hit a real high note when The King awarded them the Championship Shield for the best pipe band. Just a few months earlier, they played a special role during the Coronation celebrations in Scotland. As a former student, it’s heartening that The Duke of Edinburgh also has a keen interest in the Pipe Band.
“It was a special moment to mark the band’s recent 70th celebrations, and a testament to the band’s dedication, talent and hard work to be presented with their very own Pipe Banner by His Royal Highness.
“These qualities can also be found in the number of students at Gordonstoun and across Moray taking part in the DofE Award. Gordonstoun was instrumental in the launch of the scheme and 70 years later the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award continues to flourish at Gordonstoun.
“Many of our Year 13 students complete the Gold expedition and some go on to achieve the full award, which is a fantastic example of Gordonstoun’s enduring service to the local community.
“It was a real boost for our students and those from other DofE centres in the Moray area to have their hard work recognised by The Duke of Edinburgh, who has always been very supportive of the scheme”
Community Support and Pipe Band Origins
Moray Council Chief Executive, Karen Greaves BEM, added:
“As a long-time supporter of the DofE programme, Moray Council is delighted to join with partners to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the awards in Moray, where it all started.
“In the last three years, the council has supported almost 350 participants to reach their goals through every stage of their programme.
“Showcasing the range of activities supported in Moray by the DofE, from supporting our schools’ values to engaging ASN groups and the value of DofE in our curriculum, is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the sheer scale of activity in Moray.
“We look forward to continuing to work with partners to deliver the wide variety of opportunities DofE brings to our young people, skills they take with them into their working life and beyond.”
The idea for the new Royal crest came from the original founder of the Pipe Band, who first approached The Duke of Edinburgh.
Former student Graham Neil recalled how, as a teenager, he hit upon the idea of starting a Gordonstoun Pipe Band. After persuading a local Pipe Major to teach the students, other pupils soon signed up for the classes, and they subsequently sourced a set of drums. Graham worked during his school holidays to raise enough money to purchase a Pipe Majors mace, and the Pipe Band was formally established in 1955.
Graham Neil, 88 who went on to become a governor at Gordonstoun, said:
“I felt with the appointment of Prince Edward as The Duke of Edinburgh, and as a former student, he should be approached to suggest that the band would welcome carrying a pipe banner with his crest.”
Gordonstoun Drumming teacher Scott Niven said:
“The big appeal about the band is that there is no age limit, and the older students play a big role in mentoring the younger children.
“We have lots of different nationalities in the band and there is a great team ethic which encourages the students to become responsible for everything from checking all the equipment to ensuring they are on stage on time.
“The band has evolved over the past 70 years to remain relevant, such as taking place in freestyle events and competitions, where the students wear a kilt and t-shirt and add in instruments such as keyboards and electric guitars”
Gordonstoun Piping Instructor Scott Oliphant added:
“There has been a tremendous amount of effort and dedication in getting to this point, The game changer was when the Prep school was established, which allowed us to introduce the pipes and drums to children at a younger age.”
HRH The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh last visited Gordonstoun in 2022 to present 125 schoolchildren with commemorative Moray Badges to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Moray Badge was first set up by Gordonstoun founder Kurt Hahn in 1936 to connect with the local community. Prince Philip was given the silver Moray Badge – the top award at the time – for completing various life-saving challenges and expeditions during his time at Gordonstoun.
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