History has been made today after the Queen gave Royal Assent to the Brexit Bill - clearing the way for Theresa May to trigger the divorce.

Speaker John Bercow told the Commons that the monarch has formally signed off the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill.

But although the PM now has the powers to invoke the two-year Article 50 process for leaving the Brussels club, she has indicated she will wait until the end of the month to do so.

The Queen, pictured visiting a museum in Chelsea today, has given Royal Assent to the Brexit Bill, paving the way for our divorce from the EU

Speaker John Bercow announced that the Bill had received Royal Assent - formally becoming an Act of Parliament - in the Commons this morning

The legislation's addition to the statute books - becoming an Act - comes after weeks of wrangling in parliament as Remoaner MPs and peers fought to water down the Bill.

Mrs May and Brexit Secretary David Davis successfully fended off attempts to amend the text of the two-clause legislation in the Commons.

But when it moved to the unelected Lords, where the government does not have a majority, Labour and Liberal Democrat peers joined with crossbenchers and a few Tory rebels to pass two changes.

The resistance was finally overcome on Monday night, when MPs overturned the amendments - which had sought to force Mrs May to guarantee rights for EU nationals already in the UK and pledge a 'meaningful' vote in parliament on a final Brexit deal.

The House of Lords then finally backed down from a confrontation with the elected chamber, allowing the Bill to pass unchanged.

Mrs May has said that the invoking of Article 50 will be a 'defining moment' for Britain.

The Queen officially reopened the National Army Museum in Chelsea today

Mr Davis said today that the government now had the power to 'deliver on the will of the British people'.

'By the end of the month we will invoke Article 50, allowing us to start our negotiations to build a positive new partnership with our friends and neighbours in the European Union, as well as taking a step out into the world as a truly Global Britain,' he said.

Change Britain Chair Gisela Stuart said: 'This is a simple yet significant step in implementing the referendum result and respecting the decision of the British people to leave the EU.

'Brexit will allow us to begin the process of national renewal, enabling us to build a robust economy, more cohesive communities and to make politicians more accountable to the public.'

In a sign of rising tensions, European Council president Donald Tusk yesterday lashed out at the PM for 'intimidation' tactics.

The PM has declared her readiness to walk away from negotiations without an agreement, insisting that 'no deal is better than a bad deal'.

Addressing the EU parliament in Strasbourg, Mr Tusk said the bloc would not be 'intimated by threats'.

He said the remaining 27 members want to 'remain friends', but he also insisted the EU would not cave into pressure from the UK.

He added: 'I want to be clear that a 'no deal scenario' would be bad for everyone, but above all for the UK, because it would leave a number of issues unresolved.'

Some EU leaders have also demanded that the UK be punished for the decision to leave the Brussels club - although this would be devastating to their own economies.

Without a formal trade deal, the UK would fall back on international trade rules set by the World Trade Organisation, which would increase trade tariffs on British exports.

The PM has declared her readiness to walk away from negotiations without an agreement, insisting that 'no deal is better than a bad deal'

The approval of the monarch was notified to MPs in the chamber today. It means Mrs May is now authorised to launched the Article 50 process

But Mr Davis has played down concerns about quitting the EU without a deal, saying it was 'not as frightening as some people think'.

Appearing before a committee of MPs, Mr Davis played down the suggestion by Remain MPs that it would be a catastrophe.

He said the Government had not conducted a formal economic assessment of the consequences of leaving without a deal. That sparked accusations that ministers were 'driving towards a cliff-edge with a blindfold on'.

Mr Davis said it might be a year before he could offer any figures on what 'no deal' would mean. He added: 'It's not as frightening as some people think, but it's not as simple as some people think.'