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A rarely-seen workbook showing how Queen Victoria learned to write Urdu from a cherished Indian servant has gone on public display. The monarch began to take writing lessons from Abdul Karim in 1887. The book is on show at the queen's former residence, Osborne House, Isle of Wight, to...

Thousands of German football fans brought parts of central London to a standstill ahead of their team's Europa League match against Arsenal. Some 20,000 FC Cologne supporters have come to London, and briefly brought the West End to a halt as they marched down Oxford Street. FC Cologne fans...

They were one of the most bloodthirsty tribes on Earth. When the Scythians took to the battlefield, it was claimed the air was so thick with bronze-tipped arrows that the sun was blotted out. Mounted on their lightning-quick horses, they fired volley after volley at their terrified...

Jean-Claude Juncker’s ‘state of the union’ speech dispels the notion that voting Remain would have been a vote to keep things as they are. Remaining in the EU as it now is was not an option on the ballot paper. Voting Remain would have meant being a member of an institution whose leaders...

The remains of a vintage MG roadster have been unearthed by archaeologists excavating a former military site. The 1932 MG J2 was found within a World War Two artillery position during excavations at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain. Vintage car unearthed by archaeologists on Salisbury Plain BBC...

Benedictine monks of the Middle Ages - far from living a cloistered existence - refused abstinence, died in duels and even went off to war, reveals new research. The study found examples of monks teaching works of Catholic controversy in the schools they ran, and illicit Benedictine...

BAE Systems has released a set of images showing its new driverless mini-tanks that could revolutionise warfare. The innovative concept, codenamed Ironclad, could soon work alongside other unmanned aerial and ground vehicles to support troops on the battlefield. The Ironclad tanks can be...

Seven events that happened in this month through history: 7 things that happened in September through history...

Don't say the N-word! Snowflakes "offended" by name of chocolate-covered peanuts Poundland is being pushed to remove a new range of sweets called 'Nutters' over concerns they stigmatise people with mental health problems. The chocolate-covered peanuts - which are reminiscent of M&Ms -...

A 250-metre long fatberg weighing 130 tonnes has been found blocking a sewer. The solid mass of congealed fat, wet wipes, nappies, oil and condoms formed in the Victorian-era tunnel in Whitechapel, London. Thames Water described it as one of the largest it had seen and said it would take three...

An unsettling mystery is unfolding as a number of British coins have been found with Nazi symbols stamped on them. A horrified shopper spotted a swastika on Queen Elizabeth's head on a 50p, in an odd wave of findings the Royal Mint says it is aware of. Some people believe a Second World War...

Britain is the most influential power in Europe and second only to the US around the world, a think tank concludes today. The Henry Jackson Society rejects the ‘doom and gloom’ around Brexit and finds that the UK remains a ‘leading global power nation’. Its report, an ‘Audit of Geopolitical...

Ministers have given the final go-ahead for a controversial road tunnel near Stonehenge despite bitter opposition from archaeologists who fear it could undermine the prehistoric monument. Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, will today publish plans for the 1.8 mile tunnel taking...

Theresa May hailed an 'historic' moment tonight as Labour failed to defeat the government in the first vote on the EU Withdrawal Bill. The crucial legislation was comfortably given its second reading in the Commons by a margin of 326 to 290 - a majority of 36. Seven Labour MPs defied Jeremy...

When archaeologists lifted up a piece of concrete floor at a site near Hadrian's Wall, they never expected to discover one of the earliest Roman cavalry barracks and a treasure-trove of artefacts in a remarkable state of preservation. A layer of black, sweet-smelling anaerobic soil led them to...

They're a little-known football club from war-torn Azerbaijan and, to the immense pride of their fans, they are playing in Europe's Champions League - the world's greatest club football competition - for the first time ever: where they are to play the might of Chelsea, Roma and Atletico...

A radical shake-up of how warships will be built for the Royal Navy that aims to spread the work around the country has been unveiled by the Ministry of Defence. Proposals floated by industrialist Sir John Parker in his review of the sector last year have been backed by Defence Secretary Sir...

Prince Charles has become the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history. On Saturday he took the record from Edward VII who held the title for more than 59 years before becoming king. From Prince Charles' 1969 investiture at Caernarfon Castle to the 2006 purchase of his official Welsh home in...

The little-known story of how a young Winston Churchill was 'flayed alive' by a doctor so a wounded army officer could receive a skin graft has come to light. The future Prime Minister was a war correspondent interviewing Major Richard Molyneux in hospital when the overbearing doctor...

Bolton comedian Peter Kay has delivered a message of defiance at Manchester Arena's reopening concert, declaring: "We can't let terrorists win". Kay appeared at the We Are Manchester show on Saturday alongside other local heroes including former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher. More than...