Ollie Bayliss
BBC Three Counties Radio

I'm here at Whipsnade Zoo where the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have just arrived to open the new Centre for Elephant Care

I've been told the royal party will be introduced to elephants Donna, Kayleigh and Luca. 

Her Majesty will then be invited to feed Donna some bananas.

Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have just arrived at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire to open the new Centre for Elephant Care.

We understand Her Majesty's wearing a light grey coloured ensemble, perhaps inspired by the elephants?

Sarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live

As promised, here's what's on the menu for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

Sounds delicious!

Image source, Central Bedfordshire Council

Sarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live

After opening the new Centre for Elephant Care at Whipsnade Zoo, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will be officially opening the Priory View home in Dunstable, external .

The residential site, which includes 83 apartments, a hair and nail salon and even a bar and restaurants, has been described as a pilot for the future of social care in central Bedfordshire.

Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh will be sitting down for lunch with residents before being shown around the living space.

We'll bring you a sneak preview of the menu shortly.

Ollie Bayliss
BBC Three Counties Radio

Whipsnade Zoo's elephants are receiving some touch-ups ahead of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's visit later today.

Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio

Whipsnade Zoo is preparing for a royal visit from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh later this morning.

They will be opening the zoo's new Centre for Elephant Care.

We'll bring you the latest when they arrive.

Ollie Bayliss
BBC Three Counties Radio

A huge medieval burial site is to be dug up in Stoke Mandeville on the proposed route for HS2. 

It's estimated the site contains more than 5,000 bodies that have been buried by the old St Mary's Church, which no longer exists.

Image source, Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society

Chair of the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society, Peter Marston, told  Andy Collins on BBC Three Counties Radio : "It's considered to be the most significant archaeological site along the whole of the line of HS2."

The dig is expected to take about two years and tonight HS2's archaeological team will outline its plans for the site at a parish council meeting.

Georgina Burnett
BBC Weather

Another pleasant day in store across the region, staying dry with bright or sunny spells.

Winds will freshen through the day, becoming strong at times over higher ground. Highs today of 14C, that's 57F.

If you'd like a detailed forecast for where you live, you can have a look at the BBC Weather website.

Sarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Good morning and welcome back to Local Live across Beds, Herts and Bucks.

We'll be here until 18:00 with regular news, weather, travel and sport updates.

It's a big day for Bedfordshire as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be opening the new Centre for Elephant Care at Whipsnade Zoo before meeting residents at the Priory View home in Dunstable.

We'll bring you the latest on the royal visit so stay with us throughout the day.

As always if you want to get in touch you can by email , Facebook, external or Twitter, external .

Follow live text, images and social media as Watford host Swansea City in the Premier League.

Player and manager reaction, plus the best of social media from Saturday's Premier League action.

Ahsan Hassan suffocated his girlfriend in a kebab shop then took her body home in a taxi.

That's it from the team for today. Do scroll back and take a look at what's been happening.

Among the stories we've covered are:

• A Luton mosque has refuted newspaper allegations that Khalid Masood, who carried out the recent terror attack at Westminster, played a key role at the mosque and was involved with managing its website
• The Labour leadership visited Luton Town earlier, where they unveiled plans to increase the national minimum wage to £10 an hour for over 25s, should it win the election in 2020
• Airlander comes out of the shed in preparation for take-off "soon"

We'll be back with more live news, sport, weather and travel from 08:00 tomorrow. Have a great evening. 

Julie Reinger
BBC Look East weather

Apart from a few showers before midnight it'll be largely dry with clear spells across the BBC East region.

A ground frost could settle in some rural spots in the light winds as temperatures fall as low as 1C (34F). 

However, many places will stay several degrees higher, between 4-7C (38-45F). 

After a cold start, tomorrow will be fine and dry with some spells of sunshine. 

The light winds will freshen during the afternoon.

Maximum temperature: 15C (59F).

More details from BBC Weather :

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

A man who knocked another man to the ground in a Luton street with a single blow has been cleared of manslaughter.

Image source, SBNA

Sharaz Khan, who had delivered the blow, then helped lift Junade Amjad up and got him into a car after he said he didn't want to go to hospital. 

But six days later Mr Amjad was found dead in his bed.

Police charged Mr Khan, 23, of Ailsworth Road, with manslaughter after the death, but he has now been cleared.

Luton Crown Court heard Mr Khan had thrown one blow during a late night altercation with Junade Amjad in King Street, in the early hours of a December night in 2015 while they were both drunk. 

Mr Khan said he couldn't remember if it was a fist or his open palm that had connected with the side of Mr Amjad's face and pleaded self defence.

He told the court: "He came right into my face. His hand raised and I reacted.

"He raised his hand and I thought he was going to hit me and I reacted and I swung my arm."

During the trial, pathologist Dr Nat Carey told the court the victim could have survived if he had gone to hospital.

Matt Precey
BBC Look East

A Luton mosque has refuted newspaper allegations that Khalid Masood (below), who carried out the recent terror attack at Westminster, played a key role at the mosque and was involved with managing its website.

The Sunday Times  alleges, external  that Masood's name was on a sticker on a leaflet at the Luton Islamic Centre (LIC) as a contact for calltoislam.com, which until last week was the main website of the mosque.

The LIC described claims of his name on the leaflets as "ridiculous". 

In a statement for LIC, Qadeer Baksh said: "Masood never attended our mosque."

Mr Baksh added that LIS does not have a public contact person for the website and contact details were online with no contact name or telephone number.

Masood lived and taught in the town for three years, but had most recently lived in the west Midlands.

Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live

A research group at the University of East Anglia (UEA) has been awarded £477,000 for a three-year project looking at orchards.

The Landscape Group, external will work with hundreds of volunteers and a range of organisations to survey and record traditional orchards across the east of England.

The National Lottery funding will enable them to research the history of fruit growing and will also involve the restoration of important old orchards as well as creating new examples.

Volunteers from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk will be trained to take part in surveys, and others will receive training in traditional orchard management.

Head of the Landscape Group, ProfessorTom Williamson, says they're delighted to have been awarded the grant.

The two men had been friends for 14 years before falling out following a West Ham football match.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

While at Kenilworth Road, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn paid tribute to PC Keith Palmer, the officer killed in the Westminster attack and whose funeral is taking place now.

Image source, Reuters

Mr Corbyn described PC Palmer as a "lovely man".  

"We all saw him everyday as we went into the gates of Parliament. He was there with a smile and a wave," he said.

"A really good public servant. He died defending our Parliament. I'll be at the funeral today and my deepest condolences and sympathies to his family."