Yesterday as a mark of respect to Prince Philip there was a 41 gun salute in/on various venues. Can anyone explain to me why that number? What is the significance? Thank you.
Answer: The standard Royal salute is 21-guns and is reserved for Heads of State. When the salute is given from a Royal Park, an extra 20 guns is added, hence the 41-gun salute. There is also a 124-gun salute, which is when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s birthdays occur on the same weekend and is given from the Tower of London.
I'd not heard of a sixty-two gun salute from the Tower of London but it seems twenty are added because it's a Royal Palace and another twenty-one are added as it's in the City of London.
It's a tradition that goes back to 1748 and is all about trying to make sure the weather is better for outdoor celebrations. The Queen has two birthdays - her real one - on 21 April, as she was born on 21 April 1926. Then a second one - the official celebration - on the second Saturday of June