Her Majesty Queen Camilla who is turning 76, marked her first birthday on the throne with a traditional gun salute and was also honored with a rendition of Happy Birthday performed by the Band of the Irish Guards.
Prior to this event, the Queen was last seen publicly with the King on Thursday during a visit to St Ives in Cornwall, where they were cheered by waiting crowds. She also made a surprise trip to Wimbledon with her sister Annabel Elliot on Wednesday, watching the tennis on Centre Court from the Royal Box.
According to The Telegraph UK, the “spectacular” 41-gun salute for Her Majesty’s 76th birthday was performed by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery Battery in London’s Green Park at midday. It was followed by a 62-gun Royal Salute by the Honourable Artillery Company from Tower Wharf at 1 pm.
Members of the public were urged to avoid walking dogs in Green Park around the time of the gun salute, as it can be “very loud and startling” to the animals.
While performing the gun salute, a soldier riding a horse fell after the horse stumbled. A procession of 71 horses and riders journeyed from Hyde Park Corner to Green Park, where they positioned six field guns from the First World War era for the salute. Following the command, each of the six guns fired blank artillery rounds at 10-second intervals, resulting in a total of 41 shots.
A rendition of Happy Birthday was also performed by the Band of the Irish Guards during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace earlier in the day. The event also featured a performance by the Band of the Coldstream Guards.
