Prince Philip funeral on 17 April with gun salutes

A portrait of Britain’s Prince Philip is placed with flowers and candles in front of the British embassy in Berlin. AP

London: Arms salutes echoed across UK capitals, as well as aboard some Royal Navy ships on Saturday in honor of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away at 99 years at Windsor Castle on Friday. . Shortly after the 41-gun salute, Buckingham Palace said the funeral of the greatest royalty will take place on April 17.

A minute of national silence will mark the start of the funeral this coming Saturday at 3:00 p.m. local time in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the Queen’s royal residence in the south-east of England. “While this is a time of sadness and mourning, the next few days will be an opportunity to celebrate an extraordinary life,” said a Buckingham Palace spokesman.

The arrangements are said to reflect “largely” the duke’s own wishes for a low-key funeral rather than a state funeral and have been adapted in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Under the rules, only 30 people expected to be the Duke’s children, grandchildren, and other close relatives will attend the ceremony as guests.

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will travel from the United States, but his doctor has advised his pregnant wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, not to travel, the palace said. Previously, 41 rounds were fired from sites across London, including the Tower of London, the Welsh capital of Cardiff, the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast, and from Edinburgh Castle in Scotland at a rate of one shot per minute from the Noon local time on Saturday to mark the start of an eight-day national mourning period.

“The tradition of shooting Gun Salutes across the country to mark important national events dates back to at least the 18th century, and there are historical records of salutes that took place as early as the 14th century when guns and ammunition began to be more widely adopted. widely, read a statement on the royal website. “Similar gun salutes were fired to mark the death of Queen Victoria in 1901,” it notes.

They also honor the duke’s strong military ties, having served with the Royal Navy in WWII. “His Royal Highness has been a great friend, inspiration, and role model for the armed forces and we will deeply miss him,” said General Sir Nick Carter, UK Chief of Defense Staff.

The Duke of Edinburgh served among us during World War II and remained a devotee of the Royal Navy and the armed forces as a whole. A life well lived, His Royal Highness leaves us with a legacy of indomitable spirit, steadfastness, and an unshakable sense of duty. From all of us who served today and who have served, thank you, “he said. People were asked to watch the gun salutes from a distance as they are broadcast both online and on television.

In line with coronavirus Faced with concerns about the pandemic, Buckingham Palace has asked the public not to gather in large numbers at the royal residences and consider donating to a charity rather than leaving flowers in memory of the Duke. An online Book of Condolences has also been launched on the palace’s official website.

In announcing the Duke’s death on Friday, Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep regret that Her Majesty the Queen announces the death of her beloved husband.” The Royal Family joins people around the world in mourning their loss. “The Duke’s eldest son, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, described his father’s life as an” astonishing achievement. ”

I think he probably wants to be remembered as an individual in his own right, Prince Charles said, in tribute to his father. He didn’t take fools willingly, so if you said something that was ambiguous in any way, he would make up his mind, so maybe he made you choose your words carefully. He was very good at showing you how to do things and teaching you how to do things, he said.

Charles, the heir to the British throne, is reported to have traveled to Windsor Castle to visit his mother, the Queen, on Friday afternoon. Her sister, Princess Anne, said of her late father that she “treated everyone as individuals and gave them the respect that she felt was owed to them as individuals.” Other members of the Royal Family visited the Queen at Windsor Castle, and the Countess of Wessex, her youngest daughter-in-law, said that “the Queen has been amazing” when she left the castle with the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, Saturday.

During the period of national mourning, Union flags will fly at half mast, television presenters will wear black and Parliament will pass no new laws. According to tradition, the Queen will not perform any duties in public or in private, and no new laws requiring Royal Assent will not be sent to her for approval.

Westminster Abbey in London rang its tenor bell once every 60 seconds for 99 times from 6:00 p.m. on Friday, to honor each year of the duke’s life. Political parties have suspended their campaign for local elections on May 6 and Parliament will honor the Duke with a special session of the House of Commons on Monday.