Today (Saturday, 10th April) at 1200, a Death Gun Salute will be fired to mark the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Across the United Kingdom, in Gibraltar and on Her Majesty’s Ships at sea, 41 rounds will be fired at one round every minute for 40 minutes. The Gun Salutes will be broadcast online and on television, and members of the public are encouraged to watch from home.
In London, The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will use the same guns that were fired for Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Wedding in 1947, and at The Queen’s Coronation in 1953.
The tradition of Gun Salutes being fired throughout the country to mark significant national events dates back to at least the eighteenth century, and there are historical records of salutes taking place as early as the 14th century when guns and ammunition began to be adopted more widely. Similar gun salutes were fired to mark the death of Queen Victoria in 1901.
Photo Credit: Ministry of Defence Sgt Paul Randall RLC
UK MOD © Crown copyright
