Stuart McMillan 'honoured' to pipe in the King and Queen

Stuart McMillan will be on duty once again as the official parliamentary piper when King Charles III and Queen Camilla visit Holyrood.

To celebrate the special day, which also marks 20 years since the opening of the Holyrood building itself, the SNP politician has invited Children of Poverty Inverclyde's founder Pat Burke as his special guest.

(Image: George Munro)

Speaking prior to the event Mr McMillan said: “The honour of being Parliamentary Piper never wears off, and I’m continually grateful for the opportunity to pipe at these milestone events.

“I remember the 1997 referendum and the immense sense of excitement, knowing that Scotland would have its own Parliament again.

"Since 1999, it has achieved so much for the people of Scotland - and although politics can seem fraught right now, we should celebrate the positive change that our Scottish Parliament has been achieved."

Stuart McMillan drew attention to some of the ground breaking changes introduced by the parliament including the smoking ban, free prescription charges and removing hospital parking charges.

The Scottish Parliament also scrapped student tuition fees.

But he added: “It’s not all about the Parliament and MSPs though, today is quite rightly about recognising local champions who help make our communities better.

“I nominated Pat Burke, chairman of Children In Poverty Inverclyde, as my guest as the work he has undertaken locally is inspiring.

"Through his efforts and the actions of the charity, he has given local children and their families opportunities that they wouldn’t have been able to afford.

“As an MSP, I hope to shape policies that will deliver lasting changes not just for my constituents but people across Scotland.

"People like Pat deliver direct changes on the ground that ripple out into the community.

"I’m delighted then that their service is being recognised.”