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Prince Philip

The Duke of Edinburgh marks his 99th birthday without the traditional gun salutes

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

The Duke of Edinburgh has marked his milestone 99th birthday with low-key celebrations at Windsor Castle, as all public displays of congratulations were cancelled due to the ongoing global health emergency.

Traditionally, gun salutes are fired all across the United Kingdom to mark Prince Philip’s birthday.

However, following in The Queen’s example, the Duke has not celebrated his special day with the ceremonial gunfire.

Earlier this week, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson told Yahoo News:“We can confirm that, following consultation with key stakeholders, ceremonial gunfire from all saluting stations continues to be temporarily suspended due to national COVID-19 restrictions.  

“As such, the Gun Salute due to take place on Wednesday, 10 June 2020 for the birthday of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh will now not take place.

“Future such events will continue to be regularly reviewed in conjunction with current Government COVID related guidance.”

Back in April, The Queen requested that all gun salutes were to be cancelled on her 94th birthday ensuring the safety of all of those involved in the pomp and ceremony.