King’s Birthday Gun Salutes Today: Times in Green Park and at the Tower of London

Updated 14 Nov 2026, 07:43 · First published 14 Nov 2026

Royal gun salutes will ring out across London today to mark the King’s 78th birthday. The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fires a 41-gun salute in Green Park at noon, followed by a 62-gun salute from the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London at 1pm – and both are free to watch.

What time is the gun salute in Green Park?

The first round is fired at 12 noon. Get there for around 11.30am to watch the King’s Troop gallop into the park with their First World War-era guns, pulled by teams of horses, before they line up to fire. The rounds go off one at a time, ten seconds apart, while the band plays.

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What time is the gun salute at the Tower of London?

The Honourable Artillery Company fires a 62-gun salute at 1pm from the wharf beside the Tower of London. The riverside gets crowded, so Tower Bridge is often a better place to watch from.

Why 41 and 62 guns?

A royal salute is normally 21 guns. In Green Park an extra 20 are added because it is a Royal Park, making 41. At the Tower, a further 21 are added for the City of London, making 62.

Combine it with the Lord Mayor’s Show

The salutes fall on the same day as the Lord Mayor’s Show, when the new Lord Mayor of the City of London travels in the golden State Coach through the Square Mile. St Paul’s Cathedral is also free to visit today.

Sources: The Royal Parks; Royal Household; Honourable Artillery Company.