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The second aircraft carrier to be built for the Royal Navy in the record-breaking design of the £3.1 billion HMS Queen Elizabeth has passed a major milestone - it floats. As its sister ship undergoes emergency repairs for an embarrassing leak, HMS Prince of Wales rose up overnight as water was...

The former burial place of Richard III, a medieval monastic site which now lies under a car park in Leicester, has been given protected status. The remains of the 13th century Greyfriars, where the last Plantagenet king was hastily laid to rest after his death in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485...

Universities must protect free speech and "open minds, not close them", Universities Minister Jo Johnson (the brother of Foreign Secretary Boris) has said in a speech in Birmingham. He said "no-platforming", the policy of banning controversial speakers, is stifling debate. From next April, a...

On a chilly Christmas Eve three centuries ago, one of the most devastating storms in the history of Europe smashed into the coastlines around the North Sea, killing over 13,000 people, annihilating thousands of houses and wrecking countless farms. The apocalyptic weather caused enormous floods...

A mother has been "overwhelmed" by the response to her photograph of four smiling royals, which appeared on the front of numerous national newspapers. Karen Murdoch, of Watlington, Norfolk, captured a beaming Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Christmas Day at...

The Queen praised the resilience of London and Manchester after 'appalling attacks', in a Christmas message that also paid tribute to her husband, Prince Philip, who retired from regular royal duties this year. The Queen pays tribute to 'strong as ever' Prince Philip in Christmas message: Her...

Royal Family out for Christmas Day in Sandringham Meghan Markle (shown above curtseying to the Queen) has become the first fiancee to join the Royal Family at Sandringham in Norfolk for Christmas - with huge crowds of well-wishers lining the streets in a bid to catch a glimpse of Prince...

Britons should "take pride" in their country's Christian heritage at Christmas, Theresa May has said. In her Christmas message, the prime minister said there is a "confidence... that in Britain you can practise your faith free from question or fear". She also praised the emergency services for...

Scientists in the UK have unveiled the world's smallest Christmas card. Produced by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) at Bushy Park in London, the tiny Christmas card measures just 15x20 micrometres - thinner than a human hair. The card is so...

Charles Dickens was a serious foodie and his literature introduced a festive menu that has barely changed since the Cratchits gathered round their table in A Christmas Carol... How the food of Charles Dickens defined Christmas By Emma Jane Kirby Broadcasting House, BBC...

A cyclist has "drawn" an 88-mile virtual snowman across London. Anthony Hoyte, from Cheltenham, spent 10 hours cycling the streets of the city, using the exercise and route sharing app Strava to "draw" the giant festive artwork. Virtual snowman created by cyclist using app on London streets...

London Zoo is shut "until further notice" after a fire which injured staff and killed an aardvark. At its height, more than 70 firefighters tackled the fire which started in the Animal Adventure section and spread to the adjacent shop. One person was taken to hospital and eight were treated at...

Artefacts from an 18th Century coffee shop have been found in a disused cellar at the University of Cambridge. Clapham's operated in the mid-to-late 1700s on a site now owned by St John's College, and the discovery of more than 500 relics has shed light on it. Cambridge relics of '18th Century...

The big day is coming and the children are already getting very, very excited. No, not Christmas. I mean the visit to our country of US President Donald Trump. It’s going to happen, early in the new year. And by children, I mean the hundred thousand or so petulant, intellectually...

A Roman grave containing a lead coffin and more than 250 Roman coins has been discovered in a field. The artefacts - which are believed to date to around 400 AD - were found near Ilminster, Somerset, by a member of the Detecting for Veterans group. There are about 200 similar lead coffins...

While many of us enjoy turkey as part of our annual Christmas dinner, the animals have only been in Britain since 1524, when they were brought over from the Americas. Now, researchers believe they may have evidence of the first turkey dinner, in the form of three turkey bones dating back to...

Thousands of people have gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate the first sunrise after the winter solstice. Pagans and druids dressed in traditional clothing joined families and a choir to mark the end of the longest night of the year. Thick cloud at the prehistoric site in Wiltshire meant the...

The poll result in Catalonia is a disaster for the Spanish government. But voters in Spain’s most restive region have also presented the EU with a full-blown crisis that could threaten its very existence. By ignoring the European Commission’s preference for pro-Madrid candidates and...

Brits will get their iconic dark blue passports back after Brexit, ministers announce today — in a stunning campaign victory for The Sun. The Government has agreed to our demand to scrap the EU's burgundy model, enforced on the nation from 1988. Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said...

There is Victoria, the sour-faced and dowdy widow; George III who was barking mad; and Henry VIII who, we have learned, was a tyrannical, overweight womaniser. Yet just when you think there is nothing more to discover about these great figures from history, a new documentary series promises to...