Prince Philip Honored With 41-Gun Salutes Across The U.K. Following His Death — Watch
Apr. 10 2021, Updated 10:58 a.m. ET
One day after his death, Prince Philip was honored with a 41-gun salute across the United Kingdom.
Starting at noon local time, rounds were fired at one-minute intervals from historic landmarks, such as The Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle, Cardiff Castle, Hillsborough Castle and at sea.
The tradition dates back to the 16th century, but it has changed over the years.
"Ships of the Royal Navy used to, on entering a friendly port would fire off all their cannons to show that they had no loaded guns and therefore weren't a threat," Adjutant Captain Josh Bate said in a video uploaded to the British Army's social media account. "In response the friendly port would then fire their guns to show that they acknowledged the salute and also weren't a threat to the ship coming in."
"That's evolved over the past 100 years, and now it's just a more general sign of respect and we fire a different number of guns depending on who we're paying our respects to," he added.
The Tower of London Twitter account also documented the event. "To mark the death of His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, at 12pm BST today a gun salute began firing from the Tower of London. In total 41 rounds are being fired, with 1 round every minute, in unison with other saluting batteries across the UK," they captioned the clip.
Earlier that day, Philip's wife of 73 years, Queen Elizabeth II, honored her late husband with a touching post. “'He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.' -Her Majesty The Queen, 1997," The Royal Family Twitter account captioned a photo of the couple.
The duke passed away on Friday, April 9, which the royal family announced on social media.
"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle," the Royal Family Twitter account wrote.
The Queen will enter an eight day mourning period, and the funeral will take place at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
"During the coronavirus pandemic, and in light of current government advice and social distancing guidelines, modified funeral and ceremonial arrangements for His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh are being considered by Her Majesty The Queen. Details will be confirmed in due course," the palace said about the upcoming arrangements.
