The Queen has returned to London ahead of her platinum jubilee celebrations this weekend, after spending a short break at her Balmoral home in Scotland.

Her Majesty was spotted arriving at Aberdeen Airport today to fly back to London, after arriving in Scotland on Thursday.

Laura Hampson reports:

Here’s something you don’t see every day — a life-sized knitted version of the Queen.

The knitted monarch and a pet corgi were installed in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, at the weekend and villagers have already been stopping to pose for pictures with Her Majesty ahead of the celebrations.

Read more here:

Alan Titchmarsh, Tony Blackburn and Torvill and Dean are on the list of usual suspects, plus the cast of Mamma Mia! celebrating those national treasures, Abba. Oliver Keens finds himself already gripped by a very British emotion.

Read here:

There’s still time to vote in our poll on who your favourite member of the royal family is.

Are you a Camilla fan? A Harry loyalist? Or is the Queen your favourite?

Let us know here:

As the Queen marks seven decades on the throne, Sean O’Grady says her reign has been one full of surprises.

You can read his analysis of Her Majesty’s reign here:

One of the Maids of Honour at the Queen’s Coronation was stunned after being reunited with her dress which had “seemed to disintegrate in one’s hands” before its restoration.

The silk gown Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill wore on 2 June 1953 had suffered extreme sunlight exposure after years on display, causing the material to become “split and shattered”.

Here’s the full story on her reunion with the gown:

The day of your bin collection over the Bank Holiday weekend will be decided by your local council.

There is no one-fits-all system in the UK for bin collections over the long weekend, so some households may have their bins collected later or earlier than the normal schedule.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain has the full report:

Over her decades-long reign, Queen Elizabeth II has celebrated her Silver, Gold and Diamond Jubilees in spectacular fashion, with plenty of events, pageants and tours to celebrate.

Read up on everything that happened at her previous jubilees:

In case you need yet another reminder, these are the dates for the platinum jubilee bank holiday weekend:

The Queen’s favourite dog breed, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, has surged in popularity in the past year, new figures show.

According to data from The Kennel Club (TKC), there were 1,223 corigis registered in 2021, marking the highest annual figure in nearly 30 years.

Olivia Petter has all the details: