The Duke of Edinburgh's final public engagement before he retires at the age of 96 will take place on August 2, Buckingham Palace has said.

Kevin Markham takes a look at the Royal Birkdale as the course prepares to host The Open Championship.

As tributes pour in for Walter Swinburn following his death at the age of 55, the riding great will always be remembered for his partnership with the mighty Shergar, who completed the Epsom and Curragh Derby double in 1981.

New Bay is on course to take on the best of this year’s Classic generation in what promises to be a fascinating renewal of the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday.

A high-profile campaign for the rest of the year is in the pipeline for red-hot King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes favourite Postponed.

THERE is something deeply unsettling at the sight of senior Irish politicians travelling to the UK to tell people there how they should vote in the in-out EU referendum later this month.

Victor Beamish was born in Dunmanway in 1903 and was one of the most decorated RAF pilots in the Second World War before he was killed in action in 1942. A Spitfire flypast at the Listowel event will honour him, writes Noel Baker

Eagle Top will defend the honour of British older horses when he lines up for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday, as red-hot favourite Treve was eased to odds against with a number of firms yesterday.

Landmark was not something Elizabeth ‘had ever aspired to’.

Arguably, the three most useful words in a sports fans vocabulary are ‘THE – YEAR — OF.’

PRINCESS Charlotte arrived in style for her christening last Sunday, in an antique Millson Prince pram which has been in the British Royal family for generations.

The going is key to this afternoon’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Ascot, with very few of the eight runners suited by cut in the ground.

Trainer Eve Johnson Houghton is the latest trainer to come forward and reveal one of her horses has tested positive for morphine.

Mukhadram’s connections are to give the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes serious consideration after the five-year-old gained a first Group One success in the Coral-Eclipse.

Sam Twiston-Davies is to replace Daryl Jacob as stable jockey to champion trainer Paul Nicholls next season.

THE significance of President Michael D Higgins dining in state at Windsor castle last night is that it is the culmination of British recognition of Irish independence. It is also a full recognition of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Tony McCoy once summed up the essential ingredient in the make-up of a champion jump jockey with searing simplicity.

King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes hero Novellist has been ruled out of tomorrow’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp after running a temperature.

Three-time Coronation Cup hero St Nicholas Abbey will bypass Royal Ascot and instead be targeted at the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the same track in July.

Based on the private journals of Margaret Lynch Suckley, a distant relative of Franklin D Roosevelt, Roger Michell’s misfiring comedy recalls an important meeting between America and Britain on the eve of the Second World War.

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Danedream has been retired.

It is no secret that the duke and duchess of Cambridge dreamed of starting a family of their own. Before their wedding, they both spoke earnestly about the next stage in their life.

Kauto Star may be nicely tucked up in his box enjoying retirement, but Paul Nicholls could still have an embarrassment of riches come Boxing Day at Kempton.

Camelot faces a crucial workout on Wednesday morning as trainer Aidan O’Brien insists he is looking “very strongly” at running his Classic hero in Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Colin Firth is to appear in a 'King's Speech' sequel.

Connections of Coral-Eclipse winner Nathaniel are unlikely to take on Frankel in next Wednesday’s Juddmonte International Stakes unless there is significant rain at York.

Alain de Royer-Dupre is keeping an eye on the weather before deciding whether to commit Shareta to the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

So You Think has been retired to stand at stud in Australia after lameness ruled him out of the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown tomorrow.

Kauto Star has regained his crown as the top-rated steeplechaser, in the annual Anglo-Irish Jumps Classifications, for the second time in his remarkable career.

Dominic Gardiner-Hill believes Frankel is capable of taking his rating to even more astonishing levels after the British Horseracing Authority’s handicapper allotted the colt a mark of 138 for his victory in Saturday’s JLT Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

It’s one thing for a champion to be roared over the line, quite another to be applauded away from the heat of an ongoing battle in the manner of Kauto Star yesterday.

The London Olympics will be opened by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said today.

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood have paraded down the red carpet ahead of the 84th Academy Awards.

Kauto Star became the first horse in history to land the William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton five times with a quite brilliant performance under Ruby Walsh.

Olivier Peslier has expressed delight after being chosen to ride Sea Moon in the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster next weekend.

POUR MOI, ante-post favourite for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, will not race again and is to be retired to Coolmore for the 2012 breeding season, the stud announced on Saturday.

WORKFORCE is “progressing well” as connections build towards the defence of his crown in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October.

BANIMPIRE, beaten a short head by Blue Bunting in the Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Sunday, could join the star line-up for the Markel Insurance Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on July 30.

ST NICHOLAS ABBEY looks set to bid for a third Group One win in next month’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Geoffrey Rush "felt pressure" not to mess up on 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'.

When King George V (Michael Gambon) dies in 1936, eldest son Edward (Guy Pearce) ascends to the throne, but his reign is shrouded in scandal as he continues to romance American divorcee Wallis Simpson (Eve Best).

'The King's Speech' director Tom Hooper will take on a new movie version of 'Les Miserables'.

The King’s Speech was a labour of love, passed over by the usual big investors, that has turned into one of the British film industry’s finest two hours.

The King’s Speech picked up four Oscars with its star Colin Firth admitting he felt his career had “just peaked” as he collected the award for Best Actor.

STUTTERING mice with a “squeak defect” version of the affliction suffered by King George VI are being bred by scientists.

Colin Firth admitted there was “immense excitement” about the forthcoming Oscars ceremony where he will be hoping to repeat his Bafta triumph.

Colin Firth was crowned the country’s Leading Actor as The King’s Speech swept the board at the Orange British Academy Film Awards (Baftas).

Colin Firth was crowned the country’s Leading Actor as The King’s Speech swept the board at the Orange British Academy Film Awards (Baftas).

The final preparations for the Baftas are under way with more than 1,000 canapes being prepared, 540 magnums of champagne being put on ice and some of the biggest names in showbusiness getting ready to walk the red carpet.

BRITISH historical drama The King’s Speech got a new boost in the race for Oscars glory as its director won a key prize in a weekend of Hollywood awards.