The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have formally welcomed the King of Spain to the UK with a military spectacle full of pomp and pageantry.

Gun salutes will sound across London today to mark the birth of the royal baby as the armed forces join in the celebrations.

The Duchess of Cambridge told a soldier she would like her baby to be a boy when she attended a St Patrick’s Day parade at a military barracks yesterday.

Two British soldiers were killed in Iraq today, the Ministry of Defence said.