Welcome to your early morning news briefing from The Telegraph - a round-up of the top stories we are covering on Friday. To receive twice-daily briefings by email, sign up to our Front Page newsletter for free.

       1. The Queen spent night in hospital after cancelling Northern Ireland visit, palace says

       The Queen stayed overnight in hospital after receiving medical advice to cancel official duties this week, it emerged on Thursday night.

       The 95-year-old sovereign had been due to visit Northern Ireland but was told by her doctors she should rest for a few days instead, a decision she was said to have “reluctantly” accepted. Read the full story.

       2. Laura Kuenssberg ‘in negotiations to step down as BBC political editor’

       Laura Kuenssberg is in talks to step down from her job as the BBC's political editor, according to reports.

       The journalist, who has been in the role for six years, could be replaced and made a presenter of the Today programme, according to claims first reported by Jim Waterson, The Guardian's media editor. Read the full story.

       3. Merkel faces down Macron over 'Polexit' at last summit

       Angela Merkel faced down calls from Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders to punish Poland in her last summit as Chancellor.

       Amid mounting fears the battle over rule of law could collapse the bloc, the German chancellor called on her counterparts to cool tensions over Poland’s challenge to the primacy of EU law. Read the full story.

       4. Prue Leith accuses assisted dying critics of ‘scaremongering’

       Prue Leith has accused critics of the move to legalise assisted dying of “scaremongering”, despite her own son being a prominent opponent of the change.

       In a letter to The Telegraph, the Great British Bake Off judge, 81, voiced her support for the Assisted Dying Bill, which has its second reading in the House of Lords on Thursday. Read the full story.

       5. Former Spanish king’s sex drive ‘was a danger to the state’

       The former king of Spain was injected with female hormones as his sex drive was considered a "state problem", according to a notorious former police chief.

       José Manuel Villarejo, a disgraced former police commissioner entangled in allegations of spying, fraud and bribery, told Spain's parliament that Juan Carlos had been administered testosterone blockers to dampen his “ardent” libido. Read the full story.

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