A gun salute will take place in Portsmouth this afternoon in honour of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away aged 99, yesterday (Friday).
The salute is to be held at Her Majesty’s Naval Base in Portsmouth and will consist of 41 guns – with each being fired at 1-minute intervals from noon until 12:41.
It comes as key Island figures paid tribute to Prince Philip, including the Isle of Wight’s MP, Bob Seely, and Lord Lieutenant Mrs Susie Sheldon.
Dependent on the direction of the wind, Islanders on the north-eastern coast may be able to hear the guns, which will also be fired at other locations around the country, including on Naval vessels at sea.
The salutes are expected to be aired on television with the public urged to observe them from home.
Public buildings in the Island’s key-towns have lowered their flags to half-mast in signs of respect – including County Hall, the Island’s crewed fire stations, and landmarks including Carisbrooke Castle.
Official details on the Duke’s funeral will be released in the coming days. It’s known that the funeral is set to be a Royal Ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral.
It would have been nice if, for once, the TV commentators had SHUT UP and allowed us to watch the gun salutes without their interminable wittering on, and on……..