A new "expressionist-style" portrait of the Queen commissioned by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) to mark the 60th anniversary of the Coronation has been unveiled.

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Is No 10 running scared of Butler?

The report is expected to be unsparing in its criticism of Downing Street's dodgy dossiers, say Francis Elliott and Raymond Whitaker

Man with fake police ID arrested at Windsor

A man alleged to be carrying a fake or stolen police ID was arrested at Windsor Castle yesterday on suspicion of imper-sonating a police officer.

Barking up the wrong tree

Robert Winder's Notebook

Weather blamed for first fall in tourist visits since 1991

THE NUMBER of visitors to tourist destinations has fallen for the first time in seven years, although their spending has reached a record high.

Bad weather blamed as tourist visits slump to seven-year low

THE NUMBER of visitors to tourist destinations has fallen for the first time in seven years, although their spending has reached a record high.

Racing: Distant can make music

AS RACEGOERS in shirt sleeves swigged ice-cold champagne at Doncaster yesterday, it was hard to believe that in a few weeks the horses they were backing will have grown woolly coats and retired to winter quarters. Despite appearances, though, the Flat season is three-quarters gone, and by tomorrow evening, the next English Classic will be the millennium Guineas at Newmarket.

Historical Notes: Kaiser: `We will be the US of Europe'

NEARLY 60 years after his death, the name of Kaiser Wilhelm II is still a potent one throughout Europe. He claimed that he adored England, and spoke of a dream in which German warships combined with the British Royal Navy to destroy the French and Russian fleets, and celebrated their joint victory with a ceremony in London. At Windsor Castle in 1899 he exasperated his entourage by proclaiming that "from this tower the world is ruled". Yet a few years earlier he had alarmed friends at Berlin who feared that his "blind fury" against England might one day prove to be a diplomatic liability. His uncle King Edward VII knew that he was vain, cowardly and inconsistent, prophesying in 1905 that "it is not by his will that he will unleash a war, but by his weakness".

Racing: Imperialist to dominate the masses

QUALITY MAY not be its strongest suit but it will not fail for lack of numbers. That is the commentary for both this racing weekend as a whole and its most valuable focal point, the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury this afternoon.

Racing: Bradley may be back on track at Stratford

GRAHAM BRADLEY could be riding at Stratford on Friday after he had his licence returned by the Jockey Club yesterday. The 38-year-old jump jockey had charges of "conspiracy to cheat" dropped by police earlier this month.

John Walsh On Monday: Why not make him Duke of Borchester?

WESSEX? WESSEX? How in God's name did the Queen settle on Wessex as a title for the newly-weds? It may please Sophie Rhys-Jones to think that, in one bound of transformational nomenclature, she has become a countess, but can anyone be happy with a name that is only a hair's-breadth away from the Countess of Essex (coat of arms: two stenographers, rampant, on a streaked-blonde field above one brandy 'n' Malibu and white 24-denier stockings)?

A quiet wedding for Edward and Sophie

After only a few hours the Union Jack flags had been marked down to half-price

Racing: Youth policy pays for Channon

"IT'S ASKING a lot for lightning to strike twice," Mick Channon rather modestly said yesterday as he prepared Rowaasi to follow in the hoofbeats of his late, would-have-been-great filly Bint Allayl in next week's Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Racing: Fatehalkhair makes Ellison feel good

THE TRAINER Brian Ellison was entitled to feel happier after Fatehalkhair had scored in style at Catterick yesterday. The County Durham handler had been disappointed when his gelding had finished unplaced at Musselburgh 18 days earlier in a race that is under scrutiny by the Jockey Club.
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National archives: Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Newly unearthed papers reveal a shocking extra dimension to the constitutional crisis over monarch’s abdication
Sent down at the Old Bailey: A tour of the world's most famous court

Sent down at the Old Bailey

A tour of the world's most famous court
Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis’s date for his movie premieres isn’t arm candy  – it’s his 87-year-old friend who he saved from homelessness
British football scores an own goal

British football scores an own goal

Many managers barely survive a year in post. Martin Baker talks to experts who make a case for clubs using forensic business skills to find the best staff
James Lawton: Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again

James Lawton

Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again
Dylan Hartley: Northampton have spent the season proving all our critics wrong

Dylan Hartley talks tough

Northampton have spent the season proving all our critics wrong
Watch out Watford: Here comes the secretive Bilderberg Group

Watch out Watford: Here comes the secretive Bilderberg Group

A meeting of global power brokers in a Hertfordshire hotel is exciting conspiracy theorists, but what are they really about?
'The ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system': Microsoft finally unveils its Xbox ONE console

'The ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system'

Microsoft finally unveils its Xbox ONE console
Plenty of Fish dating site founder pulls 'Intimate Encounters' option to ward off sleazy men

Plenty of sleaze

Dating website pulls intimate 'hook-up' section to curb harassment
Inferno author Dan Brown 'honoured' to be invited to join the Freemasons

The Freemasons’ Code

Dan Brown reveals the message that told him door to the lodge is open
Not secure any more: G4S boss heads for exit at last

Not secure any more: G4S boss heads for exit at last

Nick Buckles survived the Olympics débâcle and a £5bn bid fiasco but a profit warning finally triggered his downfall
How to say ‘I’m a sellout’: Tumblr’s David Karp’s message of reassurance to his staff sounded very familiar

How to say ‘I’m a sellout’

Tumblr’s David Karp’s message of reassurance to his staff sounded very familiar
Why clubs are keen to take a stand

Why clubs are keen to take a stand

There's a real desire around the grounds for safe standing. But will the authorities listen?
In the end the fans decided Tony Pulis had made a pig's ear of the job at Stoke City

In the end the fans decided Tony Pulis had made a pig's ear of the job at Stoke City

Disillusion with a siege mentality and negative playing style made change inevitable
James Lawton: The James Hunt I knew is the subject of a new F1 movie

James Lawton: The James Hunt I knew is the subject of a new F1 movie

British driver was fascinating man whose epic duel with Niki Lauda in 1976 was typical of an era of glamour and glory – but also the ever-present threat of death