The birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's second child will be marked by Royal Salutes in the Royal Parks and at HM Tower of London. Soldiers from the Army's Regular and Reserve units will take part in these celebratory ceremonial events. The salute will take place on Monday at 2pm.
The soldiers, horses and guns of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery will ride out in procession from their forward mounting base in Wellington Barracks and make their way past Buckingham Palace, up Constitution Hill to Wellington Arch, and ride round into the North of Hyde Park to deliver the salute. The guns are the Regiment's colours and so are afforded due respect throughout the route.
Accompanied by music from the Royal Artillery Band, 71 horses pulling six First World War-era Ordnance Quick Fire 13-pounder Field Guns will dramatically come into action from the Marble Arch end of the park to place the Guns into position for the Royal Salute opposite the Dorchester Hotel off Park Lane. On the word of command each of the six Guns will fire blank artillery rounds at ten-second intervals until forty one shots have been fired. The horses and riders will then collect the Guns and escort them back to Wellington Barracks in Birdcage Walk.
At exactly the same time, a 62 Gun Salute by the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) will take place at the Tower of London.
The custom is that gun salutes are fired for the birth of every Prince or Princess, no matter where their place is within the succession.
