Celebration Of Queen's 89th Birthday

Gun salutes have been fired in London’s Hyde Park to mark the queen’s 89th birthday.

16:06 21 April 2015

Today marks the Queen’s 89th birthday, which she is celebrating in private at Windsor Castle where she has been staying for the past month. To mark the special occasion, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery staged a 41-gun royal salute in full dress uniform in London’s Hyde Park. 

 

The King’s Troop rode their horses and gun carriages past Buckingham Palace. They used six 13-pounder field guns dating from around the time of World War One. 

 

The Honourable Artillery Company also fired a 62-gun royal salute from the river bank at the Tower of London. Gun salutes were also scheduled at Edinburgh and Stirling Castles, Cardiff Castle, and Hillsborough Castle in County Down.

 

As the Queen celebrates her birthday, people begin to gather outside St Mary’s Hospital in London for the arrival of her newest great-grandchild. Prince William and Kate are expecting their second child later this month. Kensington Palace confirmed that Prince William is now on unpaid leave until June after completing the first phase of his in-work air ambulance helicopter pilot training sooner than expected.