Cannon fire rang out over Hamilton Harbour on Saturday as Bermuda celebrated the Queen’s Birthday with a bang.

The annual Queen’s Birthday Parade returned to Front Street this year with music, marching and an explosive salute to the Queen courtesy of the Royal Bermuda Regiment.

Governor Rena Lalgie presented medals to representatives from the RBR, the Bermuda Police Service, the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service, the St John’s Ambulance Service and the Department of Corrections as part of the ceremony.

Hundreds of visitors and residents gathered on Front Street to watch the event alongside dignitaries such as David Burt, the Premier, and Charles Gosling, the Mayor of Hamilton.

This year’s parade also celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee marking her 70th year on the throne.

Donna Marshall said that while she did not usually attend the annual parade, she wanted to make an exception this year because of the jubilee.

“Let’s be honest, this is probably going to be the only Platinum Jubilee that I’m going to see in my lifetime,” she said.

“I feel a bit bad for all those soldiers out there in the heat, but they are doing a marvellous job.”

Alan Jones and his family, from Massachusetts, stumbled across the event and were glad they did.

Mr Jones said: “The cannons gave us a jump, but I like getting a little bit of a different culture that we don’t see back home. All the pomp and circumstance.”

His wife, Bethany Jones, said: “I am a bit of an Anglophile, so it’s interesting to see this in person.

“It’s not quite meeting the Queen, but it might be as close as I get, so I’m enjoying it.”

Lieutenant LeeAnn Tucker, a former Corporal who became the RBR’s first woman to earn a commission for decades in 2020, had a baptism of fire as it was her first time on parade as an officer.

She said: “I wasn’t really nervous. The jitters went away after we stepped off and I enjoyed it.

“I’m sure the public appreciated this. We haven’t had a parade in two years because of Covid-19, so it was a breath of fresh air.”

Sam Weber, a drummer with the Royal Bermuda Regiment Band, said: “It was a good parade.

“It was a very meaningful ceremony and it was great being a part of something that honours the Queen.”