Prince Philip's birthday: 41-gun salute fired in central London to mark Duke's 94th birthday

 
Salute: Soldiers from the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery mark the 94th birthday of Britain's Prince Philip with a forty-one gun Royal Salute in Green Park today (PIcture: REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth)
REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Gareth Vipers10 June 2015

Gun salutes have been fired in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh on his 94th birthday.

The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery rode past Buckingham Palace en route to Green Park to stage a 41-gun royal salute at midday using six First World War-era 13-pounder field guns.

At 1pm, the Honourable Artillery Company, the City of London's Reserve Army Regiment, drove their liveried Pinzgauer all-terrain military vehicles from their barracks at Armoury House to the Tower of London to fire a 62-gun salute across the River Thames, using three L118 ceremonial light guns.

Philip was celebrating privately at Buckingham Palace with the Queen, with his diary free of public engagements.

During the daily Changing the Guard ceremony at the Palace, the Band of the Grenadier Guards played a rendition of Happy Birthday on the forecourt.

Buckingham Palace's official Twitter feed @BritishMonarchy sent its congratulations to Philip, declaring: "We're wishing the Duke of Edinburgh a very happy 94th birthday today!"

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry's official Twitter account @KensingtonRoyal also wished the Duke a "very Happy 94th Birthday" and posted archive photos of Philip with William and Kate, and also Harry.

The Queen had some duties to attend to on her husband's birthday, carrying out an audience with representatives from the Royal Gurkha Rifles in the Bow Room of the Palace to inspect the regiment's ceremonial staff known as The Queen's Truncheon.

Colonel James Robinson, Colonel Brigade of Gurkhas, who was among those present, asked the monarch to pass on his birthday wishes to the Duke.

The Queen and Philip, who married in 1947, are due to celebrate their 68th wedding anniversary later this year.

June is always a busy time for the royal couple. Trooping the Colour - the Queen's annual birthday parade - takes place on Saturday, followed by Monday's national commemoration to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta at Runnymede Meadows in Surrey, and then the Order of the Garter service back at Windsor.

Next week will see Philip head to Royal Ascot for the annual racing meet and, at the end of the month, he will accompany the Queen on a four-day state visit to Germany, where they will be shown the site of the Bergen-Belsen Second World War prisoner of war and concentration camps.

Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born on the island of Corfu on June 10 1921 to Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.

His early years were marked by upheaval after the family went into exile following a military coup in Greece which overthrew Philip's uncle, King Constantine I.

He moved to England to stay with relatives and study at Cheam Prep School in 1928, before spending a year at Salem School in south Germany, then finally enrolling at Gordonstoun School in Morayshire.

Philip went on to join the Royal Navy and, while a cadet, he caught the eye of a 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth. He served with distinction during the Second World War and his friendship with the Princess grew into love.

They married two years after the end of the war. Within five years, George VI had died and Princess Elizabeth had become Queen.

The Duke, who is known for his no-nonsense approach and acerbic wit, is the longest serving consort in British history and also the oldest serving partner of a reigning monarch.

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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