The Queen was present for the unveiling of the tartan

The Queen, who is on a private visit to Balmoral Castle, stopped on her way back from Crathie Kirk to hear the band play on the lawn of the Deeside Estate.

The pipe band, formed in 1907 by a small group of officers, performed on Royal Deeside on Sunday afternoon.

A new tartan which could be used both by the pipe band and Grampian Police as a whole was designed to honour the centenary in an appropriate way.

Pipe Major Drew Sinclair and Drum Major Bill Barclay came up with the new blue-influenced tartan.

Major factor

The brief they were given was to produce a modern and contemporary tartan which retained a traditional military feel.

Two tones of dark blue were chosen as the base weave as blue is a colour closely associated with the police service.

The darkest of the blues used looks almost black and is representative of North Sea oil, a major factor in local life.

Pipe Major Sinclair said: "It was important for us to celebrate 100 years of music and tradition.

"The tartan reflects our proud past as much as it represents our future."

After playing at Balmoral Castle, the pipe band were performing at Kirk Green in Ballater.

More information on the band and new tartan is available at www.grampianpolicepipeband.com