Gun salutes take place across the UK, Gibraltar and warships at sea to honor Prince Philip

Gun salutes to mark Prince Philip's passing have taken place across the UK, in Gibraltar, and at sea. The Duke of Edinburgh passed away peacefully, aged 99, with the Queen by his side at Windsor Castle.

• The Royal Family announced yesterday that Prince Philip has died. 
• In honor of his life and military achievements, guns salutes were fired across the UK, as well as in Gibraltar and at sea. 
• Buckingham Palace asked people to avoid a common mourning gesture after releasing an online book of condolences
• In other royal news, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pay tribute to Prince Philip.

Saluting batteries fired 41 rounds at one round every minute starting at 12pm today, in cities including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, as well as Gibraltar and from Royal Navy warships, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Gun salutes are a traditional way to mark the passing of an important public figure. They were also used to mark the deaths of both Winston Churchill in 1965 and Queen Victoria in 1901. 

BBC News tweeted pictures of the scenes, with the caption, 'Gun salutes marking death of the Duke of Edinburgh taking place across the UK, in Gibraltar and from warships at sea.'

The tweet has already amassed over 3,867 and 900 RTs in just one hour. 

The royal family requested that due to the concerns around Covid-19, the public should refrain from leaving flowers and notes outside Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace released an online book of condolences for mourners to pay their respects to the Duke of Edinburgh earlier today, but will not be approving any in-person tokens of sympathy due to the Covid-19 social distancing restrictions.