The Honorable Artillery Company fired a gun salute at the Tower of London on Saturday to honor Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died on Friday at the age of 99. Chris Jackson / Getty Images hide the caption
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The Honorable Artillery Company fired a gun salute at the Tower of London on Saturday to honor Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died on Friday at the age of 99.
Chris Jackson / Getty Images
Simultaneously, coordinated gun salutes were held across the UK on Saturday to honor the late Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II. He died Friday at the age of 99. A small funeral will take place on April 17th at Windsor Castle.
Starting at 12:00 noon local time (7:00 a.m.CET), members of the Royal Artillery fired one round every minute for a total of 41 rounds. The ceremonies took place in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, as well as on several Royal Navy warships and in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.
Philip was married to Queen Elizabeth II for over 73 years. He has the longest tenure as royal consort in the history of the British monarchy.
“The armed forces are very proud of their close relationship with Prince Philip,” the UK Defense Department said in a statement after the gun salute began. The late prince had served as an officer in the Royal Navy and held several military titles within the British armed forces.
Gun Salutes take place at the Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle, Cardiff Castle, Hillsborough Castle and overseas to mark the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. The armed forces take great pride in their close relationship with Prince Philip. pic.twitter.com/sUdi0vmuch
– Ministry of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 10, 2021
Gun greetings are a tradition in Britain that goes back at least three centuries to commemorate national events. Greetings were given following the deaths of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Queen Victoria. In 2017, 41 rounds were fired to celebrate Queen Elizabeth turning 65 years as Queen.
Two gun salutes took place in London on Saturday. In particular at the Royal Naval Base Woolwich Barracks, the Royal Horse Artillery of the King’s Troop fired from the same guns Used in gun salutes in honor of the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1947 and the coronation of the Queen in 1953.
Members of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire a gun salute at Woolwich Barracks Saturday. The weapons used here were also used to mark the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Philip 73 years ago. Alastair Grant / Getty Images hide subtitles
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Alastair Grant / Getty Images
Members of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire a gun salute at Woolwich Barracks Saturday. The weapons used here were also used to mark the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Philip 73 years ago.
Alastair Grant / Getty Images
The Honorable Artillery Company also performed a gun salute from the Tower of London while the crowd watched from Tower Bridge
On the occasion of the death of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, a gun salute began to shoot from the Tower of London at 12 noon CET today.
A total of 41 rounds will be fired at 1 round per minute in line with other saluting batteries across the UK. pic.twitter.com/0j3lmRwQ8u
– The Tower of London (@TowerOfLondon) April 10, 2021
Also representatives of the household calvary earlier on Saturday morning stood in front of Windsor Castlewhere Philip died and was silent for two minutes.
Due to ongoing public health concerns about the coronavirus, the UK public has been urged not to gather in large groups to honor Philip.
“During this time, the Royal Family is asking the public to make a donation to a charity rather than leaving floral tributes in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh,” said the Royal Family said in a statement Friday. There are also an online condolence book The public can sign.
That is, a number of people who hope to leave flowers has formed in front of Buckingham Palace. Crowds also gather outside Windsor Castle.
The funeral will take place on April 17th at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle and allows a maximum of 30 attendees and multiple news outlets report. Philip will rest at Windsor Castle instead of lying in the state, a choice he made before his death.
