Gun salute takes place in Portsmouth to mark accession of King Charles III

The salute began at 11:01am. Credit: ITV Meridian

Gun salutes rang out from Portsmouth Naval Base today (Saturday 10 September) to mark the accession of King Charles III.

The guns were fired at 11:01am and continued every ten seconds for three minutes and 30 seconds.

The salutes were timed to coincide with the Principal Proclamation of the King, which was read by Garter King of Arms at 11am from the balcony above Friary Court, St James’ Palace.

A total of 21 rounds were fired by the gunnery team at the base - in time with other salutes at Cardiff Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Gibraltar, Colchester, York, Larkhill near Stonehenge, and other naval bases and a number of stations at sea.

Upon receiving the order to sound a gun salute the team at HMNB Portsmouth fired from its three-saluting cannon on South Railway Jetty.

The order to fire was given by Warrant Officer 2nd Class Andrew Stottor.

  • The gunnery team at the base fired 21 rounds every 10 seconds.

As well as the gunnery team, various officers and members of the base gathered to watch the salute.

The water, which would usually be busy with ferries and small boats, fell relatively quiet.

The boats that did pass kept their distance and people onboard could be seen watching each salute to the new King.

Every round fired echoed around the city, followed by a small plume of smoke seen rising towards the spinnaker tower.

What are gun salutes?

Gun salutes are customarily fired, both on land and at sea, as a sign of respect or welcome.

They are now used to mark special occasions on certain days of the year, many of them with royal associations.

Gun salutes occur on royal anniversaries including Accession Day, the monarch’s birthday, Coronation Day, the monarch’s official birthday, the State Opening of Parliament, royal births and when a visiting head of state meets the monarch in London, Windsor or Edinburgh.

The Ministry of Defence said there are historical records of salutes taking place as early as the 14th century when guns and ammunition began to be adopted widely.

Similar gun salutes were fired to mark the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and Winston Churchill in 1965.