NZ joins 41-gun salute to prince
New Zealand has followed Britain and other countries around the world by marking the death of Prince Philip with a 41-gun salute.
Philip, who was also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, died on Friday at Windsor Castle, two months before his 100th birthday.
New Zealand’s salute, fired from the saluting battery at Point Jerningham in Wellington yesterday, started at noon and was expected to last 40 minutes.
The sound from the gun salute could be heard all around the capital. Defence Force warrant officer class one Heath Southcombe said there would be 41 gun salutes. Twenty-one was the standard number for any monarch; the extra 20 symbolised the death of a monarch,
In a tweet, the Defence Force said Defence Minister Peeni Henare and Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short would be at the salute, in the suburb of Roseneath.
Military teams across Britain, and on ships at sea, have fired 41-gun salutes to mark the death of the prince.
On Saturday, military personnel honoured the former naval officer, and husband of the Queen, who they considered one of their own.
Batteries in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast – the capitals of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom – as well as other cities around the UK and the Mediterranean outpost of Gibraltar, fired the volleys at one-minute intervals beginning at midday, local time. Ships including HMS Montrose, a frigate patrolling the Persian Gulf, offered their own salutes. ‘‘The Duke of Edinburgh served among us during World War II, and he remained devoted to the Royal Navy and the Armed Forces as a whole,’’ General Nick Carter, chief of the UK defence staff, said. ‘‘A life well-lived. His Royal Highness leaves us with a legacy of indomitable spirit, steadfastness and an unshakeable sense of duty.’’
Members of the Commonwealth, a group of 54 countries headed by the monarch, were also invited to honour Philip.
The Australian Defence Force began its salute at 5pm on Saturday (local time) outside Parliament House in Canberra.
Philip joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939 and once had a promising military career. In 1941, he was honoured for his service during the battle of Cape Matapan off the coast of Greece, when his control of searchlights aboard the HMS Valiant allowed the battleship to pinpoint enemy vessels in the dark. Philip rose to the rank of commander before he retired from active duty.
Two years after the war ended, Philip married Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey when she was 21 and he was 26. Philip’s naval career came to an abrupt end when King George VI died in 1952 and his wife became queen.
At the Queen’s coronation in 1953, Philip swore to be his wife’s ‘‘liege man of life and limb’’ and settled into a life supporting the monarch. The couple had four children – Charles, the heir to the throne, Anne, Andrew and Edward.
Before he retired from official duties in 2017, the prince carried out more than 22,000 solo public engagements and supported
more than 780 organisations, including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for young people.
Members of the public continued to honour Philip’s life of service on Saturday, leaving flowers outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, despite appeals from authorities and the royal family to refrain from gathering because of the
Covid-19 pandemic.
‘‘I think everyone would like to pay their respects,’’ Maureen Field, 67, said outside Windsor Castle.
‘‘Because of the virus, a lot of people have to stay away.
‘‘He didn’t want a big funeral. ‘‘He wanted a very private time with his family to say their goodbyes. So, we’ve all got to respect that.’’