The UK week in pictures: Partygate apologies, Queen Elizabeth's birthday, and jousting

'The National' selects the most striking photos from across Britain over the past week

Riders dressed as knights take part in the International Jousting Tournament, held at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, northern England on April 18, 2022. - The four-day tournament, running from April 15 to 18, 2022, has seen knights from Norway, Portugal and the UK battle to be awarded the museum's Sword of Honour and Queen's Jubilee Trophy. The competition is the first time the Royal Armouries Museum has staged a tournament since the Covid-19 pandemic. Points are awarded for: horsemanship, lance skills as well as the accuracy and striking power in the joust. (Photo by OLI SCARFF / AFP)

A man looks concerned after he was part of a group of migrants picked up by the UK’s Border Force while attempting to cross the English Channel from France on Monday. AFP

Taihaku Cherry Tree Orchard at Alnwick Gardens, north-east England, which has the largest collection of Taihaku in the world, comprising 329 trees. Reuters

Sunrise on Tuesday morning behind Bass Rock off the East Lothian coast near North Berwick, Scotland. PA

On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the UK Parliament his “wholehearted apology” for breaching lockdown rules after he was fined for attending an illegal party in Downing Street. He then faced a grilling from opposition MPs. AFP

Fields of oil seed turn yellow as they flower at Fourstones in Northumberland. PA

Sotheby's staff adjust a football shirt worn by Argentina's Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final match against England in Mexico, as it went on sale at the auction house in London on Wednesday. Argentina won the match 2-1, with Maradona scoring twice. AFP

Stella Morris, the wife of Julian Assange, talks to the media on Wednesday outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, after the Wikileaks founder was issued with an order for extradition to the US to face espionage charges. PA

Members of the 'Together With Refugees' coalition sailed past the Houses of Parliament in central London on Wednesday, putting pressure on MPs to challenge crucial aspects of the Nationality and Border Bill. PA

A four-day-old zebra foal takes to its feet at the Wild Place Project in Bristol on Wednesday, with 12-year-old mother Florence keeping watch. PA

Boris Johnson speaks to the media on board his flight on Wednesday, as he flew to India for a two-day visit. AP Photo

On Thursday, the country celebrated the 96th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The band of the Coldstream Guards played 'Happy Birthday' to mark the occasion at Windsor Castle. Getty Images

Margaret Keenan, 92, receives her spring Covid-19 booster shot on Friday at University Hospital Coventry. She was the first person in the world to receive a clinically approved coronavirus vaccine. PA

This week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the UK Parliament his “wholehearted apology” for breaching lockdown rules after he was fined for attending an illegal party in Downing Street, the country celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s 96th birthday, and a jousting tournament in Leeds saw knights from around the world compete for the Queen's Jubilee Trophy.