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  The bronze sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II is life-sized A life-sized sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II is being unveiled at an art gallery. The bronze sculpture at The Talos Art Gallery in Calne, Wiltshire, depicts the Queen riding her favourite horse, Burmese. It is the second edition of the sculpture from a cast by Caroline Wallace, which was commissioned for the Platinum Jubilee. The sculpture will remain at the gallery as part of its summer exhibition until 21 July. The first edition of the sculpture was commissioned in November 2020 and modelled on the Queen at Trooping the Colour in 1984. Foundry and gallery owner, Richard Atkinson-Willes, oversaw the production and installation of the first edition at Sandhurst which was unveiled by Prince Edward. “I want to congratulate the sculptor and the foundry, I’m sure it’s been every bit as challenging a project as you can imagine,” Prince Edward said before revealing the statue. The Talos Gallery offers the opportunity to see major...

  Actor Bernard Hill, best known for roles in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has died aged 79. He played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings. His breakout role was in 1982 BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, where he portrayed Yosser Hughes, a character who struggled - and often failed - to cope with unemployment in Liverpool. He died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson confirmed. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, the actors who played the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, paid tribute to their co-star at Comic Con in Liverpool. Astin began by saying: "We love him. He was intrepid, he was funny, he was gruff, he was irascible, he was beautiful." Boyd recounted watching the trilogy with Monaghan, saying: "I don't think anyone spoke Tolkien's words as great as Bernard did. He would break my heart. He will be solely missed." Alan ...