Gun salutes ring out across Britain to celebrate King's coronation: Artillery in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and York pay tribute to monarch on first anniversary of Westminster Abbey ceremony

The first anniversary of King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s Coronation was marked in six locations across Britain today with a series of gun salutes.

The salutes were heard in London at noon with 41 volleys fired from Green Park by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, accompanied by the Band of the Irish Guards.

Three miles away and one hour later at 1pm, the Honourable Artillery Company fired a 62-gun salute from Tower Wharf – an extra 21 for the City of London.

Salutes also took place at Cardiff Castle, Edinburgh Castle and Hillsborough Castle today as the UK remembered the big day at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023.

And in York, a 21-gun royal salute was fired by a 4th Regiment Royal Artillery saluting troop of three light guns with music from the Band of the Royal Yorkshire Regiment.

One year ago, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and the Honourable Artillery Company fired the guns to signal the exact moment the St Edward’s Crown was lowered onto the King’s head by the Archbishop of Canterbury during the ceremony.

Today at Green Park, the soldiers, horses and guns of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery rode out from their forward mounting base in Central London to position their guns for the salute.

The gunners wore full a distinctive dress uniform including gold braided jackets and busby hats. 

The guns were the regiment’s colours – equivalent of an infantry regiment’s ceremonial flag with battle honours.

Just before midday, 71 horses pulling six First World War era 13-pounder Field Guns over the grass quickly placed the guns into position for the Royal Salute beside the six pre-positioned ammunition boxes.

The guns were quickly detached, the horses escorted to a safe area, and – on the word of command – each of the six guns fired blank artillery rounds at ten-second intervals until 41 shots had been fired, each sending a puff of white smoke into the air.

The horses and riders then collected the guns and escorted them back through London to their temporary barracks. The Band of the Irish Guards provided musical accompaniment around the salute.

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery is a British Army mounted ceremonial unit that fires Royal Salutes on royal anniversaries and state occasions, such as state visits and royal birthdays.

The unit also provides a gun carriage and a team of black horses for state and military funerals.

Permanently based at Woolwich in South East London, soldiers from the King’s Troop also serve operationally throughout their careers in the Royal Artillery and in support of UK military operations.

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery was formed in 1947 and named by the King’s grandfather, King George VI.

Shortly after midday, three 105mm Light Artillery Guns were drawn by the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) Regiment’s liveried Pinzgauer vehicles through the City of London.

They travelled from Armoury House in Artillery Gardens – which has been the Regiment’s home since 1641 – to the Tower of London.

The Guns were placed into position on Tower Wharf facing the River Thames by Army Reserve soldiers from the HAC.

At precisely 1pm, on the word of command, a 62-gun Royal Salute was fired, each round firing from one of the three Guns in turn, at ten second intervals, filling the wharf with white smoke and the sound reverberating from the Tower battlements.

Once 62 rounds were fired, the regiment then recovered the guns to drive them back to barracks. 

Many of the soldiers involved will later return straight back to their civilian jobs in London.

It comes as the Archbishop of Canterbury marked the first anniversary of the Coronation by praising Charles’ ‘sense of duty’ as he returned to public-facing events following his cancer diagnosis.

Justin Welby said anointing and crowning Charles during last year’s ceremony was the ‘privilege of a lifetime’, and he paid tribute to the King’s ‘openness in sharing his condition’ – a ‘characteristic of his willingness to help and support others’.

The King attended three events last week as he resumed royal engagements with the public, indicating the positive effect of the cancer treatment he is receiving as an outpatient.

Mr Welby said in a statement: ‘As we mark a year since the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, we celebrate their service and give thanks for their contribution to the life of our nation.

‘On that historic day in Westminster Abbey, King Charles said he came not to be served but to serve – following the example of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.

‘It was the privilege of a lifetime to anoint and crown His Majesty, surrounded by so many of the charities and organisations he supports, as well as hundreds of people who are serving their communities.

‘The Coronation weekend inspired millions up and down the country to volunteer, and I’m delighted that the Big Help Out is returning in June, for us to get together and make a difference.

‘The past year has presented the King with some great personal challenges. But I have been struck by his continued sense of duty, having recently returned to royal engagements following treatment.

‘His openness in sharing his condition has been characteristic of his willingness to help and support others.

‘I continue to pray for King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Royal Family. May God guide, comfort and strengthen them in their service to us all.’

The head of state has held a series of events since it was announced just over a week ago that he would be returning to public-facing engagements.

His first was a visit to the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London on Tuesday, where he met other cancer patients and spoke of his ‘shock’ at receiving his diagnosis, and told those who asked that he was ‘well’.

On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace was the venue for the presentation of the Coronation Roll to the King and Queen, who marvelled at the document which recorded all the key events from the ceremony.

The King visited the Royal Windsor Horse Show for the first time as monarch on Friday and was hugged by his niece Zara Tindall, and later joined spectators in the stands to watch equestrian events.

Charles and Camilla’s coronation took place on May 6, 2023 – with thousands braving the rainy weather to take to the streets to watch their procession in the Gold State Coach.

The deeply religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey was followed by a weekend of celebrations including a pop concert at Windsor, where royals including Prince George and Princess Charlotte danced the night away.

Buckingham Palace finally dropped ‘Consort’ from Camilla’s title, having cautiously let the idea of a new Queen settle into the public’s consciousness in the wake of Elizabeth II’s death.

In the defining moment, St Edward’s Crown was lowered onto the King’s head by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Camilla was also anointed and crowned with Queen Mary’s Crown – a move unthinkable in the 1990s when she was derided for being Charles’s mistress.

The coronation brought together around 100 heads of state, kings and queens from across the globe, celebrities, everyday heroes and family and friends of the couple.

Even the Duke of Sussex was there to witness the historic occasion despite his fractured relationship with Charles and William.

And the Duke of York, who paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case, attended in his Garter robes. Andrew has always denied the allegations made against him.

The King’s son Harry – fifth in line – was seated in the third row in the Abbey and had no formal role in the proceedings.

Harry is likely to be reunited with Charles this week when he travels to the UK to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games, at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday.

The Royal Family today asked people for their favourite memories of the Coronation to mark the first anniversary of the momentous day.

Its on X account tweeted at about 8.20am this morning: ‘Today marks the first anniversary of The King and Queen’s Coronation in Westminster Abbey.

‘As well as the service itself, the Coronation Weekend saw a carriage procession through central London, a fly-past, a Royal Salute by 4,000 troops in the gardens of Buckingham Palace , a Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle and a UK-wide volunteering initiative. What’s your favourite memory of the weekend?’