Moments from the Archives: The day the lone piper changed

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is filled with moments of sheer wonder - none more so than the electrifying appearance of the lone piper.

Breaking new ground during the 2016 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo was 21-year-old Lance Bombardier, Megan Beveridge. The youngest British Army soldier to qualify as Pipe Major, and the first woman ever to do so, Megan became the first serving female soldier to take the Lone Piper role on the Edinburgh Castle ramparts on Saturday 13 August. 

The show fell silent, the lights dimmed, and the Tattoo's famous lone piper stood isolated in the spotlight, performing the traditional lament Sleep Dearie Sleep as, on the backs of almost 9000 necks, hairs stood to attention as a thrill ran down their spines.