this is bbc news. we will have the headlines and all the main news stories at the top of the hour straight after this program. this week on the travel show... ..it�*s a right royal affair in sweden... it's one of the best escorts we do. everyone is out riding through masses of happy people. ..i'm searching street food stalls for breakfast, filipino style... it looks like a mackerel. oh, yes. you're going to walk slow. ..and i get to sashay away with the golden gays of manila. ifeel like i've got a lot of make—up on. you look like a star.

they laugh. hello. i'm high above manila, the philippines�* famously busy capital. now, like most big cities, this place really comes alive at night. and a little later, i'll be heading out with some grand dames who certainly know how to put on a show. but that's to come later. first up... ..you'd be forgiven for thinking that the major royal events of the year had been and gone already, as the united kingdom held

the first coronation of a new monarch in over 70 years. but in one part of scandinavia, the festivities are just beginning, as lucy's been finding out. it's all hands on deck here in sweden as they prepare a celebration notjust fit for one king but two. not only is the country celebrating king carl gustaf�*s goldenjubilee year, but they are also marking 500 years of modern sweden. 0n the 6th ofjune 1523, gustav vasa was elected monarch, laying the foundations for the country we know today. the day is marked each year with a holiday called national day, but the events this year will be bigger than ever. so, behind me, the preparations for the king's big day are in full swing, and i've been granted special access to the royal swedish guards. so we do have the swedish chestnut horses here. those cavalry horses are getting ready for

the ceremonial duties to come. they are getting tacked up with the horse furniture, with the royal blue colouring and the royal... or the monarch's cipher. so, how long does it take to prep the horses? we started at half seven this morning. 0h! that's early! and at the moment, the time is around 10.30. it takes them some hours to get here. so you're doing a lot of prep, a lot of work's gone into this. are you feeling a bit nervous about the big day? i think this means everything. i mean, it's such a huge state ceremonial occasion, and that's what we train for and what we do. so every training, every sweat and everything comes up to this.

he speaks in swedish but there's not much time for chatting. these horses must be in tiptop condition, so it's time for an inspection. he speaks in swedish the horses are just so beautiful! _ look at their coats! what are we doing here? yes, so the girth is quite loose... mm—hm. yep, yep. ..as you can see, so we'll have to tighten it. could you do that for me, please? i can certainly do that. we wouldn't want the riders to fall off. you definitely don't want that. so that's good. that's good now. jacob, is there anything else that needs doing before they're ready to go? so, yes, time to put these straps in line with each other. so the straps here should be in line with each other. so we need to put this strap up a bit. itjust needs to be...? yes. is thatjust a case of...? 0k, do that. down here.

we can put up... is itjust a case of pulling it around? yeah. 0k. so that's good. really good. how's that? yes, lovely. so we're all done? horses are good to go? horses good to go. now we need to get the rider up in the saddle. with the horses ready to go, it's time to face the music. bugles play. firstly, i check that everyone is in the right spot and right place. i mm—hm. of course, i look at - the uniform, that the kit is clean and so on, but also a safety perspective. - i check the horse's equipment. yes. so nothing goes ahead without your say—so? no. she laughs. so let's talk about the celebrations onjune 6th.

how does it feel to be involved in that? ah, it's fantastic. especially the mounted escort. it's one of the best escorts we do. - everyone is out riding _ through masses of happy people. following centuries of revolution and political upheaval, europe is left with only seven reigning kings and queens, and sweden's scandinavian neighbours, denmark and norway, also have royalfamilies dating back centuries, so i wanted to know why monarchies have survived in this part of the world. i think we like to keep the tradition going. we don't like to let go of our past that easily. if it's not bad for us, we keep it. we've just had the coronation of king charles in the uk. massive spectacle. lots going on. do you think the same is going to happen here onjune 6th? have you heard the swedish expression "lagom"? - no, i haven't.

it's a word that you can't find in any other language. - it's not too little | or not too much. it's somewhere in between. and we have a word for it. it's "lagom". i'm leaving stockholm and heading out to gripsholm castle, which was gustav vasa's seat of power five centuries ago. and if walls could talk, this place could tell you some tales. as well as being a royal residence till the 1700s, it's also been a prison and seen the rise and fall of many a monarch. this is gustav vasa. the man himself! that's a pretty snazzy outfit as well. who was gustav vasa? the accounts differ a bit. there are different ways to view him, but he is considered a bit of a founding father. it is said that he freed sweden from the danish oppression in the 16th century. what about the kind of negative side? were there obviously people who didn't like gustav? yeah.

in the south of sweden, bordering denmark, they felt he was a power—hungry user. so a bit of a tyrant, maybe? that's why they thought of him as? yes. 0h! there are books — quite newly written — about gustav vasa and his sons, where the authors... well, they frankly call him and them psychopaths. oh, wow! so that's also one side of that. yeah. yes. and we do have a quite aggressive history. and this was no different. i guess you could say we're the tudors of sweden. yes. whatever your views may be on royalty, it's events like these that give us the chance to reflect on the past, which is exactly the point of this new artwork. this is actually the castle you see, the gripsholm castle, when it was built, 1537. i recognise it immediately. it's the castle. and i'm guessing flanking the castle is king gustav himself. exactly.

so here's to you, sweden, and the very best of luck for the next 500 years. and if you're heading there in the nearfuture, here are some of the travel show�*s top tips. the festivities aren't just for the king of sweden. pop royalty abba also have a cause for celebration, as next year marks the 50th anniversary of the band's eurovision victory. the official abba museum opened ten years ago in stockholm. here, you can learn more about agnetha, frid, benny and bjorn and their meteoric rise to global superstars. and you even get the chance to join them onstage and become the fifth band member. every autumn, swedes sit down with their friends for a traditional crayfish party, decorating the entire place in crayfish decor. they carefully dissect the crayfish and wash it down with schnapps and belt out traditional drinking songs.

and it's great fun if you get the chance tojoin in. all: skal! far up north is a chance for adventure as you cruise around the arctic circle. the polar and arctic explorer tourist icebreakers take you on a three—hour cruise across a frozen landscape, where you get to walk on ice and take a dip in the sea — in a survival suit, of course. and if you feel like rediscovering your inner child, why not step into the imagination of sweden's most beloved children's author? you'll find astrid lindgren's world in vimmerby, southern sweden, where you can meet the strongest girl there is, pippi longstocking, and enjoy different shows from the lindgren tales, which take place throughout the summer months. still to come on the show... ..i�*m searching for breakfast in manila... we've got some okra, pumpkin, and then we've got a whole, fried mackerel. ..and the filipino pensioners

in drag, a group of performers who've come up with a novel way to help fund their retirement, with the aid of some sequins and a whole lot of attitude. so don't go away. welcome to the most densely populated city on earth, manila. nicknamed the pearl of the orient, it might be one of asia's less visited cities, but it's undoubtedly one of its coolest — a melting pot of filipino, spanish and american influences, which has not only survived but thrived, despite the sometimes terrible traffic and occasional disasters thrown in its path by mother nature. this area is true manila — hot, busy and buzzing. and it's on these streets that you're likely to get an authentic taste of the philippines. this part of the city is home to many recruitment agencies. so, from early in the morning,

filipinos are busy looking for work, meaning street food stalls are everywhere... ..from banana fritters to cheese—flavoured doughnuts to a thick hot chocolate introduced by the spanish in colonial times... ..and even balut, which is a fertilised duck egg. i'm not feeling that adventurous. i'm looking for something simple for my breakfast. and with the philippines being made up of over 7,000 islands, fish can be commonly found on the menu. so this is your order. great! so what kind of fish is this? galunggong. 0k. looks like a mackerel. yes. so this looks like a really authentic meal. we've got some vegetables that are locally produced here — okra, pumpkin, aubergine, and some green beans — and then we've got a mackerel, a whole, fried mackerel. i must admit, i find a whole fish quite daunting to eat.

and then we've got here... we've got a sauce. i can make my own sauce. so we've got a bit of soy sauce. apparently, filipinos quite like to make their own sauces. so we've got calamansi, which is a bit like a lime or a kumquat, and then we've got some chilli. so we'll add that in as well. and there you go. there's my sauce for the fish. right, we're going to slice it from the top here so i get a bit of the meat. i'm always scared of bones in fish like this. i'm going to try some sauce. mmm! it's got a lovely flavour. although this seems like quite a heavy meal for breakfast. and, you know, filipinos quite like to have this with rice. they have rice with every meal — breakfast, lunch and dinner, sometimes even a snack. did you know with so much rice being made each day, a common mid—afternoon snack is rice soaked in coffee? i'll be sure to try

that one later. meet al enriquez. he's 87 years old, and during the day, he sells sweets and cigarettes from his wooden cart. but by night... ..al becomes carmen de la rue... ..one of the fiercest drag queens that make up the golden gays of manila. cheering. they can sing... ..they can dance... ..all whilst looking absolutely fabulous. and like all good art, there's

a message behind their work. more than half of those over 60 years of age and living in the philippines survive without a pension. plus, there's few support systems outside of the traditional family set—up. the members of the golden gays grew up in a less tolerant time and found it hard to get work, so saving for a pension was out of the question... please welcome the golden gays of manila. ..meaning they have to make ends meet in style, performing cabarets across the city for tourists and locals alike. but al says there's an added benefit to being the oldest swinger in town.

and can i meet them? can i meet the rest of the golden gay team? i love carmen de la rue! what a character! look at him. he's 87. he's got sparkly make—up still on at, like, 2 o'clock in the afternoon. can i carry something? 0k. do you want me to carry this? all right. 0k. let's go. the golden gay community was established by lawmaker, aids activist and journalist justo justo. in the 1980s, he opened his home to gay men living on the streets of manila, rejected by their own families and society in general. whenjustojusto died in 2012, they lost the house. but in 2018, the current president of the group, monique de la rue —

otherwise known as ramon busa — was able to rent a new home for the group. hi there! hello. nice to meet you. thank you. hi! nice to meet you. starting my makeover. well, it looks good so far. i hope it will be...done well. they laugh. and tell me a bit about this house. this is the home base where everybody does their thing. they have breakfast here. they do their laundry here. they do the cleaning. they do their baths. everything from breakfast down to dinner. we have 19 active members at the moment, and all of the 19 members are performers themselves. there has never been any laws

against homosexuality in the philippines, but same—sex marriage is still not recognised in the country. the philippines is quite a roman catholic, very religious country. yes. what's the lgbt scene like here? we realise that... ..the tolerance that the society now is giving us is much better than before, because, especially those who were born in the �*50s, �*60s, they really suffered a lot of discrimination. and you will see later on how your grannies, your lolas, perform in front of the audience. later that evening, and the troupe have been booked for a gig at a local fried chicken restaurant. the shows only happen at the moment when a sponsor agrees to fund or host one, but the dream would be to find a permanent residence

where they could earn a regular income. i've been invited along and heard there's a special guest performer who's been added to the bill. what i didn't realise is that special guest... ..is, in fact, me. have i got really big eyebrows? not that big. ifeel like i've got a lot of make—up on. you look like a star. they laugh. i would like to introduce to you a very special guest. of course, we have miss carmen... ..del london. is that me? that's you. so a lot of their dresses, their accessories, the make—up, has been donated by fans. and i've been given a new look. have you seen the state of my eyebrows? they're huge. ifeel like i'm going to some fancy dress party.

i can't believe i'm doing this. the first stage is, we do some modelling. 0k. you're going to walk slow... with only a matter of hours till showtime, it was time to flesh out my alter ego, carmen del london. and look side. 0k. can you do that? maybe. let's try. follow me. i'm not leaving you. 0k. let's try with the music. dance music plays. and strutting your stuff is not as easy as they make it look. 0k. it can sometimes be a mission to track down one of the shows, but definitely worth seeking out through word of mouth around the passi area of manila or scouring social media. # we hold on # together...

# being onstage with them, and it's clear to see - they're more than a company of performers. they are a family to each other. how important is it to find a family or find somewhere to belong?

this ensemble live their lives to the old performer�*s mantra that the show must go on, no matter what. and by doing that, they've changed so many lives for the better. cheering and applause. well, i never thought i'd be doing that. well, that's all we've got time for this week. coming up next time... ..rajan will be checking out how museums around the world are changing with the times while still focusing on the past. we commissioned contemporary artists to present their alternative interpretation.

and don't forget, you can follow us on social media — we're in all the usual places — along with more superb travel stories from around the bbc. but until next time, from me and the rest of the team here in manila, it's goodbye. hello there. it's been a pretty good week to have been on holiday in the uk, and now we've got the bank holiday weekend in prospect, so looking good again. not too many changes, a lot of dry weather, sunshine. it may turn a bit cooler as the weekend goes on. essentially, high pressure is still in charge, keeping it dry for the most part. the only fly in the ointment —

and it's a small fly — is that weak weather front that's coming down from the north—west, and stronger winds will bring more cloud down into scotland and northern ireland, but not much rain, as you can see. some sunshine in the north—west later on. south—east scotland, dry, bright and quite warm, some patchy cloud for northern england, sunnier skies further south for england and wales and not as windy in the south on saturday. it's going to be a warmer day for england and wales, temperatures widely reaching 22, 23 degrees. cooler weather, though, arrives in the north—west of scotland, and that cooler air follows that weak weather front that's heading out into the north sea. high pressure builds in behind that, and that cooler air topples down from the north. so, as we head into sunday, maybe some changes to come. starting off quite sunny in most places, but increasing amounts of cloud, with the best of the sunshine hanging on across the western side of the uk. the highest temperatures are getting squeezed towards the south—west. it's cooler in northern and eastern areas, a significant

drop in temperature, i think, for the north—east of england on sunday. but we've still got the high pressure around, so it's keeping it fine and dry. differences in the amounts of cloud from day to day. we've got a few more isobars on the chart by monday in the south, so it's going to be quite windy here, i think, on monday. and quite a chilly wind coming in off the north sea, as well. now, there may well be some cloud for a while pushing its way into england and wales. that will move through, and away from northern scotland there should be a lot of sunshine. so sunny skies for england and wales but a cooler wind in the south, and temperatures on the whole will be lower in england and wales. starting to warm up again in northern ireland and particularly into western parts of scotland. a similar sort of scene, really, on tuesday, perhaps more cloud coming in on those brisk winds from off the north sea into central and eastern areas of england. the best of the sunshine in the west and the north, and again the highest temperatures are likely to be into the low twenties across western areas of scotland. again, west is best, i think, as we head into wednesday.

there's our area of high pressure, not changing very much. more isobars in the south. still that brisk wind blowing across southern parts of the country. this time, we may be looking at bluer skies, not much cloud around on wednesday, but again it's going to be cooler around some of those north sea coasts. highest temperatures in the west, reaching the low twenties again, 22, 23, maybe even a little bit higher than that where the winds are a bit lighter. looking further ahead, high pressure's still close by. it's not retreating as quickly, but there is falling pressure in the south. that's coming from spain and portugal, across france, and it brings the potential next weekend maybe for a few showers across southern parts of the uk. but because the high pressure is not declining so rapidly and there's warm air in that and coming up from the south, that colder air is not coming into the north—east of the uk quite so quickly. it looks like it'll continue dry and warm with plenty of sunshine.

temperatures could get beyond the mid—twenties for a while, but there could be a few showers in the south next weekend.

live from washington, this is bbc news. the growing field of hopefuls vying for the republican nomination — with two launches in one week. who will be the biggest challenge to the leader in the polls, former president donald trump? and where do the candidates stand on foreign policy issues, like the war in ukraine? it has been a headline—grabbing week in the increasingly crowded race for the republican presidential nomination,