# Why a 21 (& 28 gun) salute?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-21-28-gun-salute/102166>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 6, 2002, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-21-28-gun-salute/102166 "2002-04-06T12:19:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-21-28-gun-salute/102166/1 "2002-04-06T12:19:01Z")

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I was reading a report on the Queen Mum’s funeral procession: the procession, which started at 11.30 a.m. (1030 GMT) on Friday, was punctuated each minute by a salvo from a 28-gun royal salute.

I’m not sure where the 21 gun salute came from, and I’m certainly unclear on the 28 gun salute each minute. Any answers out there?

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**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-21-28-gun-salute/102166/2 "2002-04-06T13:24:42Z")

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I wondered myself. It says [here](http://www.va.gov/pubaff/celebam/gunsalut.htm) that some sort of numerology is at play. It implies that multiples of 7 are favored. But it also says odd numbers are preferred as a result of some naval superstition about even numbers being unlucky (which must be a pain, given how many even numbers there are).

And then, I found even more useless things I don’t want to know [here](http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/blgunsalute.htm) and realized that this is one of those subjects in which I can probably remain in ignorant bliss.

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**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-21-28-gun-salute/102166/3 "2002-04-06T14:01:02Z")

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Here’s a SD Staff Report on [What’s the origin of the 21-gun salute?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/m21gun.html)

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**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-21-28-gun-salute/102166/4 "2002-04-06T14:16:34Z")

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Thanks Peepthis, that covers the 21 guns. Still wondering about the 28 per minute thing.

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**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-21-28-gun-salute/102166/5 "2002-04-06T17:02:43Z")

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From the official Royal Family website, we get this info on [Gun Salutes](http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page380.asp).

However, it makes no mention of 28-gun salutes. From the articles I’ve been reading, my understanding was that there were 28 41-gun salutes: one for every minute of a nearly half-hour long procession (how long was the procession?). I say this because they’re firing from Green Park (a royal park), which means they ought to be firing at _least_ 41 guns.

The 21-gun salute is the basic salute. When fired from a royal park (as with the funeral procession or the Queen’s birthday), they add 20…making it a 41-gun salute. When fired from the Tower of London, they add even more (another 21, bringing the firepower up to 62 guns).