Prince Philip: Plans for his funeral
A 41-gun salute has been fired from Edinburgh Castle in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh, who died on Friday.
THE 105th Regiment Royal Artillery fired one round every minute from ceremonial guns as part of a day of remembrance on Saturday. Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband of 73 years, died at Windsor Castle. He was 99.
It comes as it was confirmed the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will take place on April 17.
The event is to be a “ceremonial royal funeral” not a state funeral, which “very much reflects the duke’s wishes”, Buckingham Palace said.
There will be a national silence at 15:00 BST before the service begins next Saturday.
More details about the service will be released on Thursday.
The 41-gun salute was part of a UK-wide tribute by the armed forces to mark the death of the duke.
A large crowd of people gathered outside Edinburgh Castle to witness the tribute to Prince Philip, while people also watched on from the city’s Princes Street Gardens.
In the largest visible public gathering to mark his death so far in the city, families and groups of friends stood on the castle esplanade as the sound of the salute echoed across Scotland’s capital.
Church bells across Scotland also rang out at midday, with Dunblane Cathedral among those to pay tribute by tolling its tenor bell 99 times to honour each year of the duke’s life.
Military personnel fired 41 rounds at locations across the UK, starting at midday and leaving a one-minute break between each round.
Royal Navy ships at sea, including HMS Diamond and HMS Montrose, also fired salutes in honour of the duke, who served as a naval officer during World War Two and held the office of Lord High Admiral.
Announcing the duke’s death on Friday, Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty the Queen announces the death of her beloved husband.
“The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
Politicians across the UK also paid tribute to the duke, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying he had “deep and long-standing” ties to Scotland.
Political parties suspended their campaigning on Friday for the Scottish Parliament election on May 6, following the announcement of Prince Philip’s death.
The Scottish Parliament is being recalled on Monday, with Holyrood sitting at 11:00 for tributes to the duke.
Flags outside Holyrood were lowered earlier on Friday as a mark of respect.
All UK government buildings have been told to fly official flags at half-mast in tribute to the duke until 08:00 on the day after his funeral.
Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921.
His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes.
His mother, Princess Alice, was a daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. — bbc news.