Minute's Silence On Saturday For Prince Philip's Funeral

Monday, 12 April 2021 06:10

A minute’s silence will be held in Jersey on Saturday 17th April to mark the start of Prince Philip’s funeral service.

It will be led at 3pm by the Lieutenant Governor, Bailiff, and Chief Minister.

The silence will be started with a single round of cannon fire from the ramparts of Fort Regent. A second round will be fired at the end of the silence.

All public and government buildings that are open at the time have been requested to observe it. Other open businesses and islanders are being encouraged to do the same.

A flag pole has been erected in the Royal Square today, which will stay at half-mast until Sunday 18th April.

A service of thanksgiving to celebrate the Duke of Edinburgh’s life will take place at the Town Church on 10 June.

That would have been Prince Philip’s 100th birthday.

It's hoped that Covid-19 restrictions will have eased further by then so more people can attend.

The event, which will be led by the Dean of Jersey, will be available to watch online.

A 41-gun salute was heard across the UK, Gibraltar, Guernsey, and on Royal Navy ships this past weekend to mark the Duke's death.

The Bailiff’s Chambers say Jersey didn’t do its own gun salute because the island doesn’t have an official cannon battery.

The office of the Bailiff say the cannon used here are privately owned and fired using pack powder rather than an electronic firing system like Guernsey has.

That means Guernsey can quickly clear a misfired round. A misfire in Jersey would mean the cannon couldn’t work afterwards, so it would not be possible to complete the salute.

However, church bells were heard ringing out here in commemoration of the Duke's life: