Gun salutes mark Prince Philip’s death
maylen
LONDON (NewsNation Now) — Gun salutes marking the death of the Duke of Edinburgh will take place across the U.K., in Gibraltar and at sea.
The U.K. defense ministry said that batteries will fire 41 rounds at one round every minute from midday in cities including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, as well as Gibraltar and from Royal Navy warships.
Prince Philip died Friday at age 99. Buckingham Palace is expected to announce details of the funeral later on Saturday.
It is likely to be a small, private affair, stripped of the grandeur of traditional royal occasions by COVID-19 restrictions and by the prince’s own dislike of people making a fuss.
Despite a request from the royal family for the public to obey pandemic social distancing rules and avoid visits to its residences, people laid cards and bouquets outside Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace through the night.
“What a life! Thank you for serving our country,” read one tribute outside Buckingham Palace.
Flags at Buckingham Palace and at government buildings across Britain were lowered to half-mast and billboard operators replaced adverts with a photo and tribute to the prince.
The BBC cancelled programming across all of its television and radio channels on Friday, and aired a special programme with interviews with the queen and Philip’s children, including heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles.
Gun salutes also marked the deaths of Queen Victoria in 1901 and Winston Churchill in 1965.
Authorities are encouraging to watch the gun salutes online or on television from home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Members of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery place empty shells into boxes in advance of firing a 41-round gun salute at Woolwich Barracks, to mark the death of Prince Philip, in London, Saturday, April 10, 2021. Britain’s Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that mostly defined his life, died on Friday. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool Photo via AP) 
The Australian Federation Guard fire a 41 gun salute to mark the passing of Prince Philip on the forecourt of Parliament House, in Canberra, Australia, Saturday, April 10, 2021. Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that mostly defined his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday, April 9. He was 99. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP) 
Members of the Honourable Artillery Company fire a 41-round gun salute from the wharf at the Tower of London, to mark the death of Prince Philip, in London, Saturday, April 10, 2021. Britain’s Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that mostly defined his life, died on Friday. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP)
