As HRH The Princess Royal looked on, Hyde Park fell silent for just a moment. Then the guns opened up, and the ground trembled.
HRH The Princess Royal inspecting The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Hyde Park.
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery making a grand entrance at Hyde Park.
132 Battery (Bengal Troop) of 26 Regiment Royal Artillery at Edinburgh Castle firing the Royal Gun Salute celebrating the Coronation of The King and Queen.
For the Royal Gun Salute celebrating the Coronation of The King and Queen, Gunner Gilbertson was on the No2 gun, firing the Royal Gun Salute.
Today, 6 May 2026, the British Army marked the third anniversary of the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen with two spectacular Royal Gun Salutes in the heart of London and Royal Gun Salutes fired across the UK.
Hyde Park: 71 Horses, Six Guns and a Royal Visitor
At 12 noon exactly, Hyde Park erupted with the thunder of artillery as The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41 Gun Royal Salute.
It started with the Band of the Irish Guards, who had been playing popular and military music since 11.15am, drawing curious crowds to the saluting position near the Joy of Life fountain.
Then, just before midday, the rumble of hundreds of hooves announced what was coming.
Seventy-one horses came charging across the grass, pulling six First World War-era field guns behind them. The military riders wore their iconic gold-braided jackets and tall busby hats. In a matter of minutes, the guns were in position, the horses were led clear, and then, on the word of command, the Royal salute began.
Six guns; one firing every ten seconds; forty-one rounds; forty-one times the crowds jumped and squealed in surprise.
Each massive artillery gun sent out a flash of flame, a loud boom across the park, and wreaths of white smoke into the afternoon sky.
When the last round had fired, The Princess Royal stepped forward to inspect the regiment as they ranked past on their immaculate horses.
The inspection was more than a formality — the troops face a packed summer of ceremonial duties, with their first commitment, the State Opening of Parliament, just a week away. Only excellence will do, and the Princess cast an experienced eye over every detail.
The Tower of London: Part-Time Soldiers, Full-Time Impact
An hour later, the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) took their turn on Tower Wharf, lining up three 105mm artillery guns facing the River Thames, and fired a massive 62 Gun Royal Salute.
The guns had been driven through the City of London from Armoury House, the regiment's home since 1641.
At 1pm precisely, the first round fired… Then the second… Then the third… cycling back through all three guns in turn, one shot every ten seconds, until all 62 rounds had thundered out across the water, the sound bouncing hard off the ancient battlements of the Tower behind them.
What makes the HAC's salute particularly remarkable is who loads and fires the ammunition. Most of these soldiers have civilian day jobs. They are Army Reservists — ordinary people who train in their spare time and serve alongside the Regular Army when called upon.
After the salute, the HAC regiment gathered at Armoury House for a private ceremony, where soldiers from A Battery received the Maroon Beret of 16 Air Assault Brigade for the first time — formal recognition of their demanding operational work alongside frontline paratroopers.
These reservists don't just fire ceremonial salutes. They also train for real reconnaissance missions, passing one of the Army's toughest specialist courses to qualify as Special Observers.
The HAC is, by the way, the oldest regiment in the British Army — its history stretches back to 1537. Nearly 500 years of service, and as today proved, they're still at it.
Why 62 Rounds? Why 41?
The numbers aren't picked at random. The standard Royal Salute is 21 rounds — a tradition that goes back to the age of sailing ships, when warships would fire off their cannons entering a friendly port to prove the guns were empty and they meant no harm.
Hyde Park gets 41 rounds because it's a Royal Park — an extra 20 rounds are added to the basic 21. The Tower gets 62: the basic 21, plus 20 because it's a Royal Palace and Fortress, plus another 21 in honour of the City of London.
Gun salutes ring out across the UK
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, 21-gun salutes were fired to mark the anniversary of the Coronation of Their Majesties The King and Queen.
At Edinburgh Castle, Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland took up ceremonial guard, accompanied by the Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Band SCOTS).
Band SCOTS provided musical support as they led out 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, the saluting troop that fired the 21-gun salute. The Reviewing Officer was Commander 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, Brigadier Jody Davies MBE.
At Cardiff Castle, Reservists from 104 Regiment Royal Artillery fired a 21-gun salute. The Welsh gunners, who are based at Raglan Barracks in Newport, were joined by musicians from The Regimental Band and Corps of Drums of The Royal Welsh and the Farrior Major and Lance Corporal Emrys Forlan Jones, the regimental mascot of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Cavalry).
In Northern Ireland, Army Reservists from 206 (Ulster) Battery Royal Artillery fired a 21-gun salute at Hillsborough Castle.
206 Battery RA is based in Newtownards, with a detachment in Coleraine. Its soldiers are drawn from communities across Northern Ireland. This makes the Hillsborough salute a moment of shared regional pride. Those taking part balance their military service alongside civilian careers, giving up their own time to maintain the standards required for an event of this significance.
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