The Queen’s accession gun salute is today, February 7.
Here’s when to look out for it and how to watch it.
What is The Queen’s accession gun salute
Royal salutes are fired by military personnel across the UK and abroad on special days such as royal anniversaries and birthdays, and of course to make the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
But tradition dictates that when a special day falls on a Sunday, the royal salute is not fired until the following day.
This year, London’s Green Park will host The King’s Troop Royal House Artillery to fire a 41 Gun salute.
The Band of the Grenadier Guards will play celebratory music near the firing position in the run up.
A royal salute normally comprises 21 rounds, this is increased to 41 rounds if fired from a royal park such as Green Park, or from a royal residence.
The gun fire is extremely loud and those walking dogs are advised to avoid the area.
At the Tower of London 62 rounds are fired on royal anniversaries.
The basic 21, plus a further 20 because the Tower is a royal palace and fortress, plus another 21 for it being in the City of London and 41 on other occasions. T
These will take place along the riverside, so visible to all but the best view may be from Tower Bridge.
At both locations, once the ceremony starts, the guns continue to fire one after the other at 10-second intervals until the required number of rounds have been fired.
What time is The Queen’s accession gun salute today?
The salute is at 12pm on Monday February 7 in Green Park.
The salute at Tower of London will be at 1pm.
Ear defenders are recommended for attendees to the gun salute.
How can I watch The Queen’s accession gun salute?
You can go along to watch from a distance.
The salute at the Tower is often very busy.
They are often televised or put on TV later for everyone to see.
The last gun salutes to mark Prince Philip’s death were broadcast online on TV due to the Covid restrictions in place last April.
