In the royal Bentley, rather than the sovereign's carriage, and without the Household Cavalry as an escort, the Queen leaves the palace.

She's accompanied by the Prince of Wales rather than the Duke of Edinburgh after the latter was admitted to hospital.

Stephen Walker
BBC News NI Political Correspondent

Sources at Westminster have told the BBC the DUP have asked for a billion pound investment in health and a similar figure infrastructure as part of any deal with the Tories.

The party have also focused on key economic measures including a reduction of Corporation Tax and the scrapping of Air Passenger Duty.

Sources close to the talks process say the plans to scrap APD have "stirred much resistance with the Treasury". It is also understood the DUP have put forward plans for City Deals for councils in Northern Ireland which will give local authorities more economic powers.

The DUP are also keen to see increases in defence spending and want to see Northern Irish companies benefit from extra investment.

The party have long campaigned for defence spending to be set at 2% of GDP and increased budgets for the Army, Navy and Air Force have been raised in the discussions with Number 10.

Black Rod - the chap in black in the picture - is sent from the Lords Chamber to the Commons Chamber to summon MPs to hear the Queen's Speech.

Traditionally, the door of the Commons is slammed in his face to symbolise the Commons independence. He then bangs three times on the door with the rod.

Outside Buckingham Palace, two cars depart bringing some of the regalia to Parliament.

The first state car is carrying the imperial state crown - normally it would come in a great carriage procession, but in this scaled down Queen's Speech, that's not happening. The crown will later be carried into the Lords in front of the Queen.

The second car is carrying the cap of maintenance and the sword of state - "two great emblems of the sovereign's power", the BBC's Huw Edwards tells us.

More on the Duke of Edinburgh's health after we learned he has been admitted to hospital as a precautionary measure for treatment of an infection.

"Prince Philip is in good spirits and is disappointed to be missing the State Opening of Parliament and Royal Ascot," says a palace spokesman.

"The Prince of Wales will accompany the Queen to the State Opening.

"Her Majesty is being kept informed and will attend Royal Ascot as planned this afternoon."

Perhaps there was just a run on the website from interested readers. Whatever the reason, it looks like the link to the Conservative manifesto is working again.

Image source, Conservative Party

Image source, Getty Images

As the Queen prepares to give her speech, Buckingham Palace reveals that the Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to hospital last night as a "precautionary measure" for treatment of an infection arising from a pre-existing condition.

If you go looking for the Conservative manifesto this morning on the party's website,, external you'll find yourself frustrated.

Image source, Conservative Party

BBC News Channel

George Eaton, political editor of the New Statesman, says of the DUP talks that "the confidence is OK" - the unionists will vote to support the Queen's Speech, but "it's the supply part - the money - that's causing this drag in negotiations".

Katy Balls, the Spectator's political correspondent, thinks Theresa May is attempting to call the DUP's bluff, because despite their tough negotiating stance, she's gambling that they'd never back Jeremy Corbyn over her.

The Labour leader is particularly unpopular with the unionists because of his links to their republican rivals Sinn Fein.

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

There's definitely a capacity issue in Number 10 right now. One source on the DUP side told me Number 10 just doesn't work properly at the moment.

When you add to that all the other things that have been going on, the Grenfell Tower fire, for example, you have a weakened government that is being stretched like a piece of elastic to breaking point.

Image source, AFP/Getty

Most of the Queen's Speech is still under wraps, but we know there'll be a bill to ban landlords from charging "letting fees" which currently average £223 in the private sector.

The Lib Dems feel they deserve some credit for this, saying the move follows "pressure" exerted by them.

Lib Dem peer Olly Grender says: “I am absolutely delighted that the ban on letting fees set out in my Private Members’ Bill is now being proposed as law.

“We know from the tragedy of Grenfell Tower that tenants’ rights have been ignored for far too long.

“It’s time we made them a much greater priority, including by introducing a public register of rogue landlords.”

Victoria Derbyshire

"The point is not making life hell for the government. The point is making life better for the British people," says Labour's Barry Gardiner.

He says his party wants to go through the detail of legislation "and make sure it reflects the broad consensus of what the British people want".

"That's what our responsibility is... and of course, we will challenge and oppose at various times."

Would a defeat for the government on any one of its Brexit bills effectively be a vote of no confidence, Mr Gardiner is asked.

He says it's hard "to talk of this in the abstract" and it would depend on how central any piece of legislation was to the direction the government was trying to take,