Later today, gun salutes to commemorate the Duke of Edinburgh's death will be fired throughout the UK, in Gibraltar, and from warships at sea. He was the longest-serving royal consort in British history, retiring at the age of 99.
From 12:00 BST, saluting batteries will fire 41 rounds, one per minute, in cities such as London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, according to the Ministry of Defence. The salute will be fired by Royal Navy ships at sea, including HMS Diamond and HMS Montrose, in honor of the duke, who served as a naval officer during WWII and held the rank of Lord High Admiral.
The salutes will be broadcast live on the internet and on television, and the public is invited to watch them from their homes. "It is with deep sadness that Her Majesty the Queen announces the death of her beloved husband," Buckingham Palace said in a statement announcing the duke's death on Friday. According to the duke's wishes, there will be no state funeral and no lying-in-state. Owing to the pandemic, the public is "regretfully" asked not to attend, and it is known that the Queen is considering changing the funeral and ritual arrangements.
To honor the duke, all UK government buildings have been instructed to fly official flags at half-mast until 08:00 the day after the duke's funeral. From 18:00 on Friday, the tenor bell at Westminster Abbey tolled once every 60 seconds for 99 years, one for each year of the duke's tenure. A two-minute silence will be observed at Aintree Racecourse ahead of the Grand National later today in honor of the duke, who was an honorary member of the Jockey Club.