This Saturday, Great Britain commemorates Prince Philip, who died on Friday, with gun salutes and minutes of silence. Starting at 12 noon, cannons in numerous cities from London to Edinburgh and Belfast, as well as from Royal Navy warships, will fire 41 shots over a 40-minute period. Salutes are also planned in Gibraltar, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Westminster Abbey, where the future Queen and Prince Philip had married in 1947, had already rung its bell 99 times on Friday – once for each year of the deceased’s life. The flags on all government buildings fly at half-mast. This is to remain so until the morning after the funeral of the Prince Consort.
At all soccer matches on Saturday, a minute’s silence is to be held on the recommendation of the British Football Association, and the players are to wear black armbands. Two minutes of silence are also planned at the Grand National horse race.
The rules in the Corona pandemic are likely to have upset plans for the memorial service, especially in terms of the number of attendees. Instead of 800 guests, the Queen must limit herself to 30. The date is also unclear. According to original plans, the funeral was scheduled after an eight-day mourning period – that would be next Saturday.
- hp with reports from news agencies/picture: nst.com.my
This post has already been read 944 times!