The Red Arrows, a flotilla and the Queen all helping officially open the Queensferry Crossing
Today sees the official opening of Britain's tallest bridge.
Last updated 5th Sep 2017
The Queen will cut the ribbon on the Queensferry Crossing during an official opening ceremony later today.
The event to unveil Britain's tallest bridge is taking place exactly 53 years on from the day she opened the neighbouring Forth Road Bridge.
There will also be a flypast by the Red Arrows while a flotilla of small boats will sail across the Forth.
The Queen will open the crossing on the south side before unveiling a plague at the north end.
She will be accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, who is making his first official appearance alongside her since retiring from solo royal engagements last month.
The event is also expected to feature an address by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, a blessing by Church of Scotland Moderator the Right Rev Dr Derek Browning, a reading of a specially-commissioned poem and musical performances.
Ms Sturgeon said: "I think it is great that the Queen is coming to open the bridge. It is a special occasion and it's a great way of thanking the 15,000 men and women who have helped to build this bridge.
"It is obviously here to do a job, to get people from A to B, but it is a wonderful thing to look at as well."
The formal ceremony is part of a week of events marking the opening of the bridge, more than a decade after plans for it were drawn up.
On Monday of last week the crossing was illuminated by a night-time light show to reflect the symbolic handover of the bridge from the contractors to the Scottish Government.
The first cars drove over the structure in the early hours of Wednesday, with many of the motorists sounding their horns and blowing whistles as they crossed.
Sightseers eager to try out the crossing when daylight came then contributed to long delays on its first day of operation.
The bridge then closed again on Friday to allow 50,000 people the opportunity to take part in a "once in a lifetime" chance to walk over the bridge during the weekend, which included at least two proposals of marriage.
It will reopen to traffic on Thursday.
The need for a new bridge for vehicles emerged 13 years ago when inspections of the Forth Road Bridge's main cables uncovered a loss of strength.
Construction of the Queensferry Crossing began in 2011, with a variety of milestones marked along the way.
Around 24 million vehicles are expected to use the crossing each year, reducing the strain on the older road bridge.
The new bridge has a projected life of 120 years but could last for longer than that, experts believe