Why, when and where are gun salutes fired?
A. Gun salutes occur on the following Royal anniversaries: 6 February (Accession Day) 21 April (The Queen’s birthday) 2 June (Coronation Day) 10 June (The Duke of Edinburgh’s birthday) The Queen’s official birthday The State Opening of Parliament (usually November or December). Gun salutes also occur when Parliament is prorogued by the Sovereign, on Royal births and when a visiting Head of State meets the Sovereign in London, Windsor or Edinburgh. The number of rounds fired in a Royal salute depends on the place and occasion. The basic Royal salute is 21 rounds. In Hyde Park an extra 20 rounds are added because it is a Royal Park. 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 the City of London’) and 41 on other occasions. In London salutes are fired in Hyde Park and The Tower of London. On State visits, at the State Opening of Parliament and for The Queen’s Birth
