Chatteris born soldier played in the band in Queen’s service

Kieran said: “I was initially told I wasn’t going to be in the service as all the available spots had been taken in the regiments band.”

This quickly changed as the next day, September 9, he was called back on his way home and asked to take part.

“My first thought was I was being messed about but when it sunk in, I was more nervous than anything; being one of five people in my regiment was a huge sense of pride.”

On the day of the service, he gathered with the rest of The Queen’s Royal Hussars at Wellington Barracks before marching down to Westminster.

Kieran on the day in his formal uniform ready to join the procession (Image: Kieran Henshaw)

“When the procession started, we were right at the front and played till we got to Westminster Abbey with the queen behind us. We played Mist Covered Mountains and Mull Of The Mountains.

“It was so overwhelming the amount of working parts to it all, like we were just a small part of bigger things.

He described the stillness and quiet of the day, he could hear the distant barking of dogs, birds singing and police chatting upon rooftops.

“There was real pressure on my shoulders because I knew it was the biggest job of my life, also I knew my family was watching so I didn’t want to mess up for them.

“It was amazing, just perfect. I had a sense of pride once I’ve done it and I felt proud to had been a part of it all."

Kieran would like to congratulate all those taking part and thank his mum for spotting him while she watched along with an estimated 29million people in the UK.

His mum, Sharon Henshaw, said: “His father, sister, brother, nieces Lexi-Mae and Darcie-Rose and myself are extremely proud of what he’s achieved.

“He’s achieved so much, from driving tanks to playing the bagpipes.”

Kieran joined the regiment's band in its fortieth year, 2020, two years into his army career working with the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank.