Queen dodges sword: A video has shown Queen Elizabeth II dodging a ceremonial sword that was being swung around by the Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Roger Gifford, according to News Limited.
The queen was attending the funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher overnight in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
The video shows Queen Elizabeth, who will turn 87 this weekend, moving backwards as a sword got within inches her face. The Lord Mayor was unaware that the queen was so close.
News Limited said that the sword got within millimeters of her face, but it doesn’t appear as close as that.
In the video, the Duke of Edinburgh turned to her and grinned after the queen jumped back, appeared startled, and glanced toward him.
The sword, according to the Herald Sun, is the official state Mourning Sword, which was not been seen in public since the state funeral of Winston Churchill.
Queen Elizabeth II, current and former prime ministers and representatives from 170 countries were among the mourners packing the cathedral, where Bishop of London Richard Chartres spoke of the strong feelings Thatcher still evokes 23 years after leaving office.
“The storm of conflicting opinions centers on the Mrs. Thatcher who became a symbolic figure — even an -ism,” he said. “It must be very difficult for those members of her family and those closely associated with her to recognize the wife, the mother and the grandmother in the mythological figure.”
“There is an important place for debating policies and legacy ... but here and today is neither the time nor the place,” he added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
