LONDON - She was Queen by the Grace of God. She was a granny. She was Defender of the Faith. With a stable full of racehorses. She was Queen of this Realm and many other realms. Who loved her nipping corgis and stood astride a century of cataclysmic history and a sprawling royal family notorious for its tabloid dysfunction.
The world is demonstrably fascinated by Queen Elizabeth II. Her funeral on Monday is expected to draw nearly 500 foreign dignitaries, with hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets to see her coffin pass by and many millions watching on television.