The State Opening of Parliament saw Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn engage in one of the newer political traditions today – the awkward silent walk to the Lords.

If the Royals were still being paid by the long-established Civil List, they would not benefit from the energy auction. But in 2012 this changed and the Queen now gets 25 per cent of the estate’s profit.

Extinction Rebellion protesters gathered in London this evening for a launch event to kick off two weeks of protests. The group plans to shut down key sites and protest government departments.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to think that Archie is still too young to make the trip up to Balmoral, in Scotland.

The monarch, 93, was accompanied by Kate, 37, and the Duchess of Cornwall, 71, for the traditional carriage procession, which marks the official start of the day’s races.

OSCAR-winner Olivia Colman continued her stellar year with a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Max’s owner, Kerry Irving, 54, from Keswick in Cumbria, overcame acute depression after a serious car accident to become a respected mental health campaigner.

Fifty people with Down’s syndrome star in adorable video miming to Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ to prove they ‘wouldn’t change a thing’ – including a girl who plays an inflatable guitar.

The Queen stressed the importance of ‘respecting’ other views and said Britons should not lose sight of the ‘bigger picture’ during an event at the Sandringham Women’s Institute on Thursday.

IAIN DALE:That was the year that was, and let’s hope we never see its like again. So far as political discourse was concerned, 2018 plumbed poisonous new depths of anger and abuse.