NI gun salute marks Duke’s 97th birthday
THE Duke of Edinburgh’s 97th birthday celebrations continued yesterday with a thundering gun salute in Carrickfergus.
The Duke enjoyed his birthday in private on Sunday.
On Monday twenty-one rounds were fired from three guns positioned in the shadow of Carrickfergus’ iconic castle.
The special event in honour of His Royal Highness took place at Castle Green with the firing at noon.
The impressive guns, which have been used by the army in battle zones throughout the world, were supplied and operated by 206 (Ulster) Battery Royal Artillery.
Mrs Joan Christie CVO OBE, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for the County of Antrim, was among the special guests.
In 1961 the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh landed in Carrickfergus for the start of a two-day visit to Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, in Hyde Park the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun salute to mark the occasion.