our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. palace, where hospitality is deployed in pursuit of diplomacy. tonight, one of the world's oldest monarchs, elizabeth of the united kingdom, accompanied one of its newest and tallest, felipe of spain, to dinner. a lavish occasion, but an opportunity for britain to cultivate another important european nation. the queen didn't mention the word brexit in her speech. but she did dwell on the power of the anglo—spanish connection. a relationship like ours, founded on such great strengths and common interests, will ensure that both our nations prosper, now and in the future, whatever challenges arise. the state visit had begun on horse guards parade, with a greeting between two monarchs who are distantly related — they‘ re both descendants of queen victoria. from horse guards to the carriage ride up the mall, one of the highlights for visitors, something donald trump is keen to do if he ever comes. and in this relaxed atmosphere, business can be done and difficult issues touched upon. in th

nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace.r decades but in a bid to bridge the gap between the two a group of kayakers are making the trip from havana to key west in a slightly different kind of vessel, as tim allman reports. if you are heading to the high seas anytime soon, this could be your flexible friend. a collapsible kayak that can fit inside a suitcase. four americans setting out on a bold adventure. we want to demonstrate a kayak, a foldable kayak, that can operate in the ocean like this. and this is a sport we love and we want to test aaron the mets. there is little more than 100 miles between the countries. —— our own limits. they would go to havana and then the key west. in the last few years, the situation between the two countries had eased, with barack obama normalising relations in 2015. but that was partly reversed by his predecessor, donald trump, in his first month. the team setting off from havana hope in some small way their trip may make a difference. there is a long history of doing this crossing in a sm

nicholas witchell, bbc news, cambridge airport. the president has welcomed a new member into his family. this is tory, a little black dog who was reportedly headed for the dinner table before being rescued two years ago. the four—year—old black mongrel was adopted from the animal rights group coexistence of animal rights on earth. very sweet dog there. and there's much more on our website, including all the latest from our correspondents across the globe. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter, i'm at bbc reged ahmad. @bbcbreaking for all the latest news as well. hello, good morning. yesterday was one of those days where there was sunshine and it clouded over and there was quite a bit of rain. in fact, mid—afternoon in london, really atrocious weather for a time. and you can see here there was quite a lot of rain across many parts of the uk, but some sunshine in between. but those showers when they came along started turning heavy and thundery in the afternoon and on into the evening. now, they te

nicholas witchell, bbc news.e of the bbc‘s most high—profile female presenters have written to the corporation's director general tony hall, calling on him to tackle the gender pay gap. bbc sport's claire balding, the today programme's mishal hussain and jane garvey from woman's hour are amongst the 42 signatories. the letter in the sunday times urges lord hall to "act now" to close the gender pay gap in all areas of the bbc. the health secretary, jeremy hunt, has described the abuse to staff at great ormond street hospital, where the terminally ill baby charlie gard is being treated, as "totally u na cce pta ble". the hospital says its doctors and nurses had faced a "tide of abuse", and that it's had to call in the police. the high court is considering whether charlie's parents should be allowed to take him to the united states for experimental treatment. richard main reports. release charlie gard! it is a case that has touched people around the world. attracting a growing number of campaigners who disagree with

nicholas witchell, bbc news. news, still to come: 0ur correspondent tries to get answers from the russian pop star who set up the controversial meeting between a moscow lawyer and donald trump junior. this is bbc world news today. the latest headlines: one person has been killed and two others wounded in an attack at the israeli embassy injordan. eight people have been found dead in the back of a truck in texas, in an incident police suspect is linked to people smuggling. donald trump's son—in—law and senior advisorjared kushner will testify this week in front of both the house and senate intelligence committees. some of the questions will focus on his meeting with a russian lawyer — a meeting which mr trump's son donaldjr also attended. that meeting was set up at the request of singer emin agalarov who's an old acquaintance of mr trump. the bbc‘s sarah rainsford caught up with him at a concert in latvia, and tried to get his comments on the ongoing controversy. music plays cani can ijust can i just ask you what

nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace.ionship down the years. geographically, of course, they are right next door to each other, and a group of kayakers want to make the trip in a slightly different kind of vessel. if you're heading to the high seas anytime soon, this could be your flexible friend. a collapsible kayak that can fit inside a suitcase. this the mode of travel for four americans setting out on a bold adventure. we want to demonstrate this kayak, that is a foldable kayak, that can operate in the ocean like this. and this is a sport we love and we want to test our own limits. there's little more than 100 miles between the two countries. the starting point for the trip is havana, then they would head north to key west at the very tip of the florida keys. in the last few years, the situation between the us and cuba had eased, president obama normalising relations in 2015. but that reprochement was partly reversed by his predecessor, president trump, last month. the team setting off from havana hope that in some sm

nicholas witchell, bbc news, cambridge airport.hortly with the headlines and there's more on the website. see you shortly. hello, good morning. yesterday was one of those days where there was sunshine and it clouded over and there was quite a bit of rain. in mid—afternoon in london, atrocious weather for a time. there was quite a lot of rain in many parts of the uk, but some sunshine in between. those showers when they came along started turning heavy and thundery in the afternoon and into the evening. they tend to fade away for many eastern areas overnight. we keep showers going in northern and western areas, temperatures dipping to about 12 degrees in aberdeen, 13 in london, 11t—15 for cardiff and plymouth. showers from early on in scotland, northern ireland. northern england too. brighter weather for a time in east anglia and the south—east but showers in the south—west merging in the afternoon. sunny spells and showers again in scotland. always heaviest in the north and west. lighter further east. some spells of sunshine here.

our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports.orking life which is likely to mean more than most for william wales since it will remind him of the role he's played as a member of the emergency services doing a job largely out of public sight in which he's been able to prove himself solely on the basis of ability. his colleagues say they'll miss him. he's a hard—working member of the team, always keen to get his hands dirty and help out, whether it's just cleaning the aircraft or actually at scene, helping out with patients that are critically ill. from the moment william took up his air ambulance duties more than two years ago, it's clear how much thejob has meant to him. it's kept him grounded, he said, working as a member of a highly committed team. when i put my air ambulance hat on and i come here and fly, i'm one of the team. i just want to get the job done and at the end of the day feel like i've made a difference through my contribution. he's flown on scores of emergency call—outs and seen tragedy at close quarters. there a

nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace. trading route between east and west. it's thought it'll cost almost a trillion pounds and involves a new rail link from china to the uk, being paid for by the chinese. it passes through countries like the former soviet republic of kazakhstan, amid growing concerns about china's influence. 0ur china editor carrie gracie started out in eastern china on her 7000 milejourney along the new silk road. tonight, she's reached kazakhstan. bells chime for two centuries, central asia was russia's backyard. kazakhstan got its independence when the soviet union collapsed. but russian remained the language of business — until now. this is china's new silk road in action. the economy slowing back home, state construction companies put to work abroad. master builder xu xiwen, delivering a cutting—edge urban railway. translation: china's advanced technology is bringing convenience and more comfort and safety to travellers in kazakhstan. if this project goes well, it will serve as a model for others. c

nicholas witchell, bbc news, cambridge airport. but their captainjoe struggle for england but their captain joe root was one struggle for england but their captainjoe root was one of struggle for england but their captain joe root was one of the wickets to fall. rain stopped play a short time ago with england on 171-4. short time ago with england on 171—4. rain at the oval, what about the rest of the country? few have escaped a heavy downpour. one moment you have the blue sky, then the dark clouds build and after that, well, what do you think, the rain comes. the showers have lasted too long though. but perhaps a rumble of thunder and some hail, in fact there have been thunderstorms across parts of the east midlands and lincolnshire in the last hour or so. many southern and eastern parts of the uk become mainly dry but the showers are still there for northern ireland, parts of north—west england and western scotland, and still there into tomorrow morning. for a large part of england and wales during tomorrow morning and the first p

nicholas witchell, bbc news. me now from our 0xdord studio is ian lloyd, a royal historian and photographer, who photographed diana many times. thank you forjoining us. this documentary appears to offer us all a very intimate glimpse into their lives, doesn't it? what are your thoughts about it? hello, rebecca. yes, it does. i think the reason perhaps behind it, and diana died much too young, and like all the other famous people who died young like james dean or marilyn monroe, there are no movies, songs and merchandise, and there is a danger she will escape the public consciousness in the younger generations at least. i know people in their early 20s who do not understand the whole diana phenomenon. i suppose william and harry are very keen that her legacy, the work that she did, should be emphasised as well as the personal side. it is interesting prince william apparently said we will not be doing this again, we will not be speaking as open or as publicly about her again. tell me why you think they have done it

nicholas witchell, bbc news.ome of the bbc‘s most high—profile female presenters have written to the corporation's director general tony hall, calling on him to tackle the gender pay gap. bbc sport's claire balding, the today programme's mishal hussain and jane garvey, the presenter of woman's hour, are amongst the 42 signatories. the letter in the sunday times urges lord hall to "act now" to close the gender pay gap in all areas of the bbc. with me is harriet minter, a journalist who specialises in women's rights. thank you for coming in to talk to us thank you for coming in to talk to us this morning. what you make of this letter? i think it is a great thing for them to have done. so often we tell women to wait, if they are patient, a solution will be found, that we are working towards it. tony hall's point that we will fix this by 2020, what might happen by2020 fix this by 2020, what might happen by 2020 is the agenda might move on and we are no longer talking about it. i think it is important the women of the

nicholas witchell, bbc news.ation claims for the mis—selling of payment protection insurance, and the treatment of mortgage customers. it brings the bank's total bill for the ppi scandal to about £18 billion. 0ur personal finance correspondent simon gompertz is here. so, what will people get in terms of the mortgage issue? what happened was, over a period of several years up was, over a period of several years up to last year, with mortgage customers who got into trouble, who got into arrears, they were taking the opportunity to charge them for putting a repayment plan into place. it was typically £140 a year. in many cases, that plan was costing too much. they could not afford it. that is why they are having to pay this compensation. it is 590,000 customers who are affected here. the total compensation to be paid is nearly £300 million, 283 million, and that is working at typically at £350 per customer. they do not have to claim it, they will be written to by lloyds and then they will have the opportunity to cla

nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace.eberg broke away from an ice—shelf. the breakaway didn't come as a surprise to scientists, who've been monitoring the emerging crack for a decade. the iceberg is one of the biggest ever recorded, it's about 6,000 square kilometres, almost four times the size of london. cuba and the us have enjoyed a fairly tumultuous relationship down the years. decades of cold war antagonism giving way to a recent thaw in relations that was partly reversed by president trump. but the two countries are geographically right next door to each other and a group of kayakers want to make the trip in a slightly different kind of vessel, as the bbc‘s tim allman reports. if you're heading to the high seas anytime soon, this could be your flexible friend. a collapsible kayak that can fit inside a suitcase. this the mode of travel for four americans setting out on a bold adventure. we want to demonstrate a kayak, a foldable kayak, that can operate in the ocean like this. and this is a sport we love and we want t

nicholas witchell, bbc news, at buckingham palace.seen over half a month's southern england have seen over half a months worth of rain and we have some dangerous driving conditions first thing this morning, this was in twickenham, but the rain cleared very quickly. this is spectacular. this is cumbria, barely a cloud. those scenes were repeated around the country, plenty of sunshine. clear skies overnight will allow temperatures to fall away free quickly. —— very quickly. in the countryside it will be cold enough for some pockets of ground frost and it will be a chilly start to thursday, but we have the area of high pressure still, the atlantic front is quite skinny and that will come in late in the day. fine weather in the morning and for the most pa rt weather in the morning and for the most part it is dry with sunshine, but cloud will bubble up through the afternoon and that will provide the focus of showers in england and wales. some of these could be quite heavy, but they will stay away from east anglia and south—eastern and wher

nicholas witchell, bbc news. the bbc‘s most high—profile female presenters have written to the corporation's director general tony hall, calling on him to tackle the gender pay gap. bbc sport's clare balding, the today programme's mishal hussain and jane garvey, the presenter of woman's hour, are amongst the 42 signatories. the letter in the sunday times urges lord hall to "act now" to close the gender pay gap in all areas of the bbc. in a statement, a bbc spokesperson said, "we have made significant changes over the last three years, but need to do more." let's get more on this with gillian howard an employment lawyer specialising in discrimination. she joins us via webcam from north london. we are very grateful for your time. what do you make of this letter? good morning everybody, good morning, rebecca. the letter is very powerful and should be acted upon immediately. it is an utter disgrace that the bbc, a major institution, has allowed this covert discrimination to carry on. now you have 45 really powerful v

our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports.an more than most for william wales since it will remind him of the role he's played as a member of the emergency services doing a job largely out of public sight in which he's been able to prove himself solely on the basis of ability. his colleagues say they'll miss him. he's a hard—working member of the team, always keen to get his hands dirty and help out, whether it's just cleaning the aircraft or actually at scene, helping out with patients that are critically ill. from the moment william took up his air ambulance duties more than two years ago, it's clear how much thejob has meant to him. it's kept him grounded, he said, working as a member of a highly committed team. when i put my air ambulance hat on and i come here and fly, i'm one of the team. i just want to get the job done and at the end of the day feel like i've made a difference through my contribution. he's flown on scores of emergency call—outs and seen tragedy at close quarters. there are some very sad, dark moments an

nicholas witchell, bbc news, at buckingham palace. beautiful day across the country.y a deluge. the cloud shifting away, most of us having a fine day, cloud here and there. high pressure in charge. things settling down, tonight and into tomorrow. quite chilly in the countryside. city centre temperatures 10 degrees, the lowest. rural spots could see five. way outside of terms. in the north—west, the cloud increasing showers into northern ireland and the western scotland. showers across more central areas. 0n the whole, another fine day. 20 more central areas. 0n the whole, anotherfine day. 20 in belfast, 23 in london. this is bbc news. i'm clive myrie. the headlines — as police continue their search of grenfell tower, the bbc has learnt that residents were still being told to stay put in their flats almost two hours after the fire broke out. at least 80 people are believed to have died in the flames. grenfell tower survivors have confronted the senior police officer investigating the blaze during a heated public meeting. matt bonner said the police investigation would

nicholas witchell, bbc news.princess of wales. the most extraordinary thing about the death of the princess of wales was it hit the whole world like a nuclear explosion and it was greatly different from the way news had come out before and as you will remember, we heard about it much later than people in australia because of the hour difference and so by the time britain woke up everybody was in a state of shock and you will remember the great reaction that followed it, something we had never seen before, with people putting down flowers, lighting candles and messages, it was extraordinary. notjust in london but all over the world. one of the hardest things for any child to lose a parent at a young age is just to have that kind of relationship cut off before its full natural development, before the point at which the child is ready to break away from the parent, but it must be acutely painful for them because their mother was almost owned by the world as much as she was owned by their family? there are two things

nicholas witchell, bbc news.r, pleasa nt afternoon. it is cool in the shower, pleasant not in a shower. temperatures mostly in the high teens. deeper into this evening, these showers will face but overnight they will continue across northern ireland, north—west england and the west of scotland, although occasionally some will push further east. clear spells to the south. friday‘s weather is like this, further showers across the northwest uk, sunny spells for many in england and wales but then pick a cloud and rain pushes into south—west england and wales, turning heavier and leading further east across other parts of indian and wales tomorrow evening. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines at 2.30pm. the government has asked independent experts to produce a report assessing eu migration, as the home secretary tried to reassure business about immigration policy after brexit. there will be an implementation phase when new eu workers who come here will need to register their details, but the full new eu immigration

nicholas witchell, bbc news.er. this is 0fficer alfredo vargas responding to a call out of a reptile outside a resident's front door. this is the body cam footage taken by 0fficer alfredo vargas. he decided to deal with the himself because the trap would take another hour to get there. let's listen to how calmly he did this. he wrestled with the alligator for a while. eventually managed to put him into a bag and put him on the back of his patrol car and drove him to a canal. if a trapper had been called to deal with this he would have shocked the alligator straightaway, so shocked the alligator straightaway, so there is a bright side to this. i know you're thinking, rather him than me, that's what we're all thinking. he took the alligator to a canal where he let him go and did not say simulator. service did not say, see you later. that's get a weather update, nick miller has the latest on the other side of the newsroom. follow that! you've done all the jokes, so get straight on with it. there are some really heft

nicholas witchell, bbc news. rules on blood donation are to be relaxed in england and scotland to allow more gay men and sex workers to take part. experts say there is clear evidence it is safe for those groups to give blood after abstaining from sex for three months, instead of 12. hiv charities have welcomed the changes. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. giving blood is not for everyone. rules on safety mean those at high risk of infectious diseases, such as hiv and hepatitis b and c, are restricted from donating. but the rules are changing. gay men will no longer have to abstain from sex for 12 months. that will be reduced to three months before they can give blood. people who have had sex with high—risk partners or in a high—risk place, will also have the deferral period reduced to three months. and for the first time, sex workers will be allowed to donate blood after abstaining from sex for three months. the reason for the change is that scientists say new testing techniques have establishe

nicholas witchell, bbc news, cambridge airport.ghter offences 80 people are known to have been killed in the the un says a catastrophe is unfolding in yemen — as the country struggles with the world's worst cholera epidemic, and the looming threat of famine. the home secretary, amber rudd, has promised there will be an "implementation phase" after brexit, as changes are made to the immigration system. an update on the market numbers for you — here's how london's and frankfurt ended the day. and in the the united states this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. today marks 50 years since the sexual offences act came into force in england and wales. it meant homosexuality in england and wales was no longer a criminal offence. the prime minister says the conservatives have come a long way on the issue of gay rights, but that there's still more to do to achieve equality. with me is sue elliott, co—author of a new book entitled not guilty: queer stories from a century of discrimination. i'm also joined by dave williams, who was

nicholas witchell, bbc news.at a supermarket car park in the city of san antonio, in an incident they believe was linked to people trafficking. at least two of the victims were school age children. 28 other people were severely dehydrated and are being treated at local hospitals. san antonio is a few hours‘ drive from the border with mexico. earlier i spoke to our correspondent laura bicker in washington. if you listen to the immigration and customs department, the homeland security department, they will say this is very common and in fact one county in the state of texas, 500 bodies of would—be immigrants have been found since 2009. this is because people from the likes of mexico are looking for a better life. some will pay traffickers to get across the border, others will find ways to evade security checkpoint at borders and walk there themselves. the heat is not only exhausting but there are very few water supplies around. in this case, in a walmart car park, someone noticed people were being transferred throu

nicholas witchell, bbc news. died in east london, after a confrontation in a shop with a policeman. cctv footage has emerged of the officer wrestling the man to the floor, in the store in hackney, early yesterday morning. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports from hackney. the moment when rashan charles ran into his local late—night shop in the early hours of saturday morning, pursued by a police officer. at first, the arrest was calm but then the officer threw him to the floor and grabbed him around the neck. later, he was joined by what appears to be a plainclothes officer. just over one hour later, rashan charles was declared dead at the royal london hospital. the independent police complaints commission, which is examining his death, says an object was removed from his throat at the scene. as the cctv from the shop was viewed on social media by people in haggerston, there was a growing collection of flowers and candles today, and growing anger. pauline pearce, who became well—known for chasti

nicholas witchell, bbc news.powerful trade body representing all german car manufactures has told the bbc that a long transitional deal after brexit is needed — otherwise there'll be a threat tojobs and investment in britain. matthias wissman — the president of the german automotive industry association — has accused britain of abandoning pragmatism for ideology over the issue. the international trade secretary, liam fox, has signalled that a transitional deal could last up to 2022. cycling, and chris froome is expected to win his fourth tour de france this afternoon. he remains the overall leader going into the final stage in paris and won't be challenged by other riders. our sports correspondent richard conway is in paris. when can we expect to see chris froome on the winner's podium?m when can we expect to see chris froome on the winner's podium? it is about five hours from now. i am in the shop was elysee palace centre of paris and already the crowds are building and there is a party atmosphere in the city be

nicholas witchell, bbc news. former bbc royal reporter, sandra westbrooke. good to see you. what strikes you most about the interviews and the revelations that have come out of this documentary. i think it is very brave for the two boys to do this. in the past the royal family has been very buttoned up about emotions. this is something that has carried on over the years. now we have a new generation of royals who are not afraid to speak out. they have taken their cue from diana who did so much speaking to aids victims and things like that. the boys have learnt from this and a to go ahead in their own way. i think the heads together campaign is a good example. they seem to be candid in many areas of the licensee reached adulthood, but this must be the hardest thing for them to do. you suggested this is the only time they are going to do this, go back over those memories of having lost a mother is such a bond rubble point in their lives. they say they will not do it again but they want people to remember her warmth

nicholas witchell, bbc news.d in a lorry at a supermarket car park in texas, in an incident police believe was linked to people trafficking. around 30 people, many in critical condition and severely dehydrated, were removed from the vehicle in san antonio. the lorry‘s driver has been arrested in connection with incident. san antonio is a few hours' drive from the border with mexico. one person has been killed in a shooting at a residential building used by the israeli embassy in jordan. police said two local carpenters entered the compound in amman. 0ne jordanian man was killed and two people — including an israeli citizen — were injured in the shooting. police have sealed off the heavily protected compound. the motivation of the attack is not clear but regional tensions have been heightened after recent violence injerusalem. the number of migrants arriving in greece is picking up again, putting increasing pressure on a country, still struggling economically. more than 8,000 people have arrived so far this year,

nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace. that's a summary of the news. now on bbc news, it's time for newsnight. tonight: four weeks after grenfell burned, newsnight has established the first evidence of cyanide poisoning amongst survivors of the disaster. we hear new testimony of a family's escape from the 21st floor of the tower. and the agony of losing their unborn child. that poison, it went in. as it settled on my body, obviously everything goes to the baby. the amount that he received, it was obviously enough to stop his heart. nazreen aklani lost her mother and her aunt in the fire, both are missing and presumed to have died. four weeks on — has anyone helped her get the answers that she seeks? and why are survivors so unwilling to believe what the authorities tell them — especially about the number who have died? i was speaking to a friend of mine last week and they said that he's been told it's about 400. we go in search of evidence that the official death count is wrong and ask why so many doubt it. we've got social media. i said, we've got soc

here's our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell.watching world she was the princess whose image appeared constantly on front pages. it was a glamorous but necessarily limited impression of the real person. now, nearly 20 years after princess diana's death in a car accident in paris, her sons william and harry have spoken in an itv documentary about diana, the mother who did so much to shape their childhood. we felt, you know, incredibly loved, harry and i. we are grateful that the love still feels there. it was that love that, even if she was on the other side of a room, as a son you could feel it. the person who emerges from william and harry's description as a woman with a strong sense of fun. when everybody says to me, you know, "so she was fun? give us an example." all i can hear is her laugh in my head. and that sort of crazy love, where there was just pure happiness shown on herface. one of her motto is to me was you can be as naughty as you want, just do not get caught. and they speak about their mother's death. the recall th

nicholas witchell, bbc news.rd's parents end the legal fight over treatment of their terminally—ill baby — they said valuable time had been wasted. donald trump's son—in—law and senior adviserjared kushner, denies colluding with russia, during the president's election campaign. the government promises an energy revolution, investing hundreds of millions pounds, in battery technology. let's look at how the market in europe have entered the trading session today. markets mixed, but largely negative territory today. in the rest of europe it was mostly down to the auto sector, which was under pressure after reports the european commission is investigating collusion between german car—makers. volkswagen fell 225%, 3.9% down for daimler, and peugeot dropped as well. the commission is still assessing the information, not welcome news for those car—makers, picking up the pieces still from emissions ringing. airline stocks are down after comments from ryanair led to concerns about a pricing war in the sector. ryanair says

nicholas witchell, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz schafernaker.drizzly. but in scotland, in wales and the south—west, temperatures in the mid—20s and it has been a beautiful summer's day. the satellite picture shows the picture across the west, whereas eastern areas have been stuck underneath the gloomy weather with rain and drizzle at times. but more in what areas are just about getting sunshine before sunset. across the midlands, for example, and central and southern england. what is happening in the next 24 hours? we will still keep some played across the extreme east of the country but many of us are actually go to have clear skies tonight. clear spells at the very least. 13, 14 celsius, those sorts of values. tomorrow, we can look forward to a very pleasant summer's day. it will be, and fortunately, the best ever week. just one day as things go downhill very quickly. tuesdayis things go downhill very quickly. tuesday is 23 celsius. on wednesday, a wall of water splashing its way across the uk. this is bbc news at 5pm, the headlines: the paren

nicholas witchell, bbc news.to a former bbc correspondent, sandra westbrook. going back to queen victoria's day she was told not to let the light in because the magic might go, and this has carried on over the years but now we have a new generation of royals who are not afraid to speak out. i think they have taken their cue from diana who spoke so much to aids victims, landmine victims and things like that. they are determined to go ahead in their own way. i think they're heads together ahead in their own way. i think they‘ re heads together campaign ahead in their own way. i think they're heads together campaign is an example of that. they seem to be candid in lots of ways in their life since they reached up adult hot. i think they have suggested this is the one and only time they will do it, to go back publicly over those memories, having lost their mother at such a vulnerable point in their lives. yes, they have said they won't be doing it again but they wa nt won't be doing it again but they want people to re

nicholas witchell, bbc news. now the weather. .it now the weather. .sappointing across eastern pars of the uk today, across eastern pars of the uk today, a love o cloud drizzle, it unpleasant here in london, but western parts of the uk basking in sunshine, a tonning day with temperatures in the mid 20s. look at the clear skies in scotland, northern ireland, the south—west, in the east it is going to stay good morningy and cloudy. this is the rush hour temperature. you can see round the low, mid 20s in some of these parts. this evening we had clear weather in the west and central areas but eastern parts of the country staying on the cloudy side with a few spots of rainful these the overnight lows and tuesday promises to be overall the best day of the week, and the reason i am saying that because most of us will have fine weather, today has been so dull in the east, tomorrow in the east we are going to get some sunshine. temperatures tomorrow will be lower though, in glasgow for example, 19, still 23 through in cardiff but london will warm up to round 23

our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports.a great deal to him, to work as a member of the emergency services, valued for what he does rather than who he is. flying an air ambulance and helping to save lives. it was more than two years ago that william first reported for duty with the east anglian air ambulance. he had finished as an raf search and rescue pilot, but chose to retrain and qualify for this new role. on his first morning he explained how much it mattered to him. i amjust fa ntastically it mattered to him. i amjust fantastically excited to be here today, the first day. it has been a long time coming. it has been many exams and training to get here, and iam exams and training to get here, and i am hugely excited to be joining a very professional bunch of guys and girls, doing some unique, complex jobs with the air ambulance. in the months since, william has piloted the airambulance to months since, william has piloted the air ambulance to scores of emergencies. he has seen tragedy and extreme emotion in close quarter

our royal correspondent nicholas witchell is on the mall in central london.her partial from this. visiting heads of state are rather partialfrom this. a personal invitation to stay at buckingham palace. you can see in the background the household cavalry forming up behind us. there is serious business behind us. the king and queen will be arriving in about half an hour or so. there will be a state banquet tonight, but behind that there is the serious business of politics. other officials are hoping that within the warm and positive atmosphere, they are hoping they can do business between london and madrid. thank you very much. the headlines are coming up on the bbc news channel. in a moment, we say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. first, we leave you with for a look at the weather. good morning. the rain beginning to clear away towards the east. a beautiful photograph sent in from cambridgeshire. light winds and temperatures getting into the low 20s. maybe 22—23dc for the south east. for wimbledon, much 20s. maybe 22—23dc for the south east. forwimbledon, much

our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports.ce, william has piloted the air ambulance to scores of emergencies. he has seen tragedy and extremes of emotion in close quarters. writing in the eastern daily press this morning, he says he is hugely grateful for having had the experience. he says it has instilled in him... after tonight‘s shift, william will embark on the role which has been his destiny, as a full—time, working member of the british royalfamily, taking on more responsibilities in support of his grandmother, but with what are clearly deeply embedded memories of his time as pilot william wales of the east anglian air ambulance service. ina in a moment we will say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. and the news that one is coming up in a few seconds with my colleaguejane hill with much more on the top stories of the day. right now let‘s get the weather forecast and that comes today from nick miller. it is another day for dodging the downpours. a rash of showers moving west to east across the uk. some of us have had a bit of