BIG GUNS COME OUT AT CITY’S CASTLE FOR 41-MINUTE SALUTE TO DUKE
THERE was a 41-gun salute in Cardiff yesterday to honour the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip died at the age of 99 after 73 years married to Queen Elizabeth II.
The salute went on for 41 minutes and people in parts of the Welsh capital were able to hear the loud bangs.
Saluting batteries fired 41 rounds at one round every minute from midday at Cardiff Castle.
Similar tributes were paid in London, Edinburgh and Belfast, as well as Gibraltar and from Royal Navy warships.
Gun salutes have been fired to mark significant national events since as early as at least the 18th century.
They were used to mark the deaths of Queen Victoria in 1901 and Winston Churchill in 1965.
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the most senior officer in the Royal Navy, added to the tributes to Philip.
In a statement released yesterday morning, he said: “His genuine empathy, affection and engagement with the Royal Navy resonated with us all.
“His generous spirit, his delight in all aspects of the naval service, and his deep understanding of our values, standards and ethos made him such a close friend to the service for over eight decades.”
Ships taking part in the gun salute included the HMS Diamond, HMS Montrose and HMNB Portsmouth, while the Royal Gibraltar Regiment joined in from the British overseas territory.
Due to coronavirus restrictions only 30 people will be able to attend Prince Philip’s funeral, which will take place on Saturday at 3pm at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
The death of such a high profile member of the Royal Family would normally result in a huge funeral involving overseas dignitaries and large crowds paying respect. However, due to Covid the funeral is going to be significantly scaled back.
The Palace will be following the current funeral guidelines for England which state that “no more than 30 people attending, whether indoors or outdoors”. This number does not include anyone working at the event.
In Wales the rules are more flexible and the number varies from venue to venue taking into account its size and the amount of people that will already be sitting with their households.
People travelling from outside England who are coming from any country not exempt from the requirement to self-isolate would normally have to self-isolate from arrival and for the first full 10 days after they arrive.
However, they can leave their place of self-isolation in limited circumstances, including on compassionate grounds.
This includes attending a funeral of a household member, a close family member or a friend (if neither household member or close family mem
ber can attend the funeral).
This means that any world leaders coming from a country not exempt from restrictions would need to have isolated for 10 days to be allowed to attend.
It is expected that Prince Harry will be attending the event.
The previous arrangements for the funeral would have involved thousands of people gathering in London and Windsor to watch the military procession.
There would also have been members of the armed forces lining the streets to honour the Duke.
The Queen has the difficult task of deciding who should attend the funeral. Her four children and their spouses – the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex – will undoubtedly be present.
The Queen and Philip also had eight grandchildren: Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.
The Duchess of Cambridge, as a future queen, will also be expected to attend.
The grandchildren’s other spouses – Mike Tindall, Jack Brooksbank and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi – may attend to support their wives, but, the Queen might, given they are not senior royals, decide to include other relatives or members of the household instead.
While Harry is expected to travel from the US, it is thought Meghan, who is pregnant with her second child, will remain in California – particularly in the wake of the bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in which the Sussexes accused the Royal Family of racism.
It is also likely the Queen will invite her cousins and their spouses: Princess Alexandra, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, who have offered loyal support and service over the years.
And the Queen is close to the children of her late sister Princess Margaret – her nephew the Earl of Snowdon and niece Lady Sarah Chatto – and is likely to want them to be present as a source of comfort.
The Queen and Philip’s 10 greatgrandchildren – Savannah and Isla Phillips; Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Cambridge; Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall; Archie Mountbatten-Windsor; and August Brooksbank – are likely to be considered too young to attend the televised proceedings as all are aged 10 and under.
If Meghan does not attend, and Mr Tindall, Mr Brooksbank and Mr Mapelli Mozzi do, then the guest list would total 29, leaving just one place left.
This could be filled by a trusted member of the Queen or Philip’s household, or perhaps Prime Minister Boris Johnson if the Queen decides to widen the invitation outside royal circles, or First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin in honour of Philip’s military service.