For the world leaders arriving in Glasgow for Cop26, the news came as a disappointment. The Queen would not be there to: she would address then in a recorded video. There would be no chance to be photographed with her; none of the "magic dust" that, in the words of the journalist Martin Ivens, her presence sprinkles.  

Any 95-year-old needs to take things easy, and the death of the Duke of Edinburgh was a great blow. In recent weeks there have been signs of frailty. She was photographed using a walking stick and cancelled a visit to Northern Ireland after spending a night in hospital.

She is now resting at Windsor Castle. But, as Martin Ivens wrote in an article for Bloomberg, "The UK must begin to think the unthinkable: of life without her."

Another article, by Serge Schmemann in the The New York Times, is being discussed. It suggests she might be the last "global monarch".

Schmemann argues although there are a dozen monarchies in EuropeThe second-smallest of the world's continents. It has a population of 746 million. , and almost 30 countries around the world with royal families, few people other than their subjects know about them. Queen Elizabeth is known and widely respected the world over.

Fifteen countries outside Britain acknowledge her as head of state, while to 36 other members of the Commonwealth she represents their former monarchy.  

After 69 years on the throne, she is a historic figure. She has seen 14 US presidents and five popes come and go. If she is still alive in three years she will overtake Louis XIV of FranceHe became king at 14 and ruled so long that he was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson. as the longest-reigning European monarch.

No individual in the future is likely to have such stature. Canada and Australia might decide they no longer want a British head of state once she is gone.

The term monarch derives from Greek words meaning to rule and alone. The earliest monarchs were successful military leaders who established themselves so firmly that they were able to pass power on to their children.

This often required ruthlessness and diplomacy, since they needed to dissuade the aristocracy from supporting rivals. Glamour was also important: by building palacesThe Royal Palace in Madrid, measuring almost 1.5 million square feet, is considered to be the world's largest functioning palace. and hosting banquets they could impress people with their power and wealth. Becoming a monarch was the ultimate fantasy, much as becoming a music or sports star is today.  

The idea also developed that monarchs were chosen by GodThis idea was known as the "divine right" of kings., and therefore it was wrong to rebel against them.

Queen Elizabeth does not have the powers of an absoluteAble to rule without restraint. The Queen is a constitutional monarch who has to follow the wishes of parliament. monarch. But as Serge Schmemann notes, "No other head of state has succeeded in meldingBlending. The verb is a combination of melt and weld. the ancient rites of hereditary monarchy with democratic rule as she has."

No. The Queen comes from an age when royalty meant something and was respected. In an increasingly democratic world, that is not the case. In countries like the Netherlands, royals have realised the best thing is to present themselves as ordinary people.

Yes. Most of us still value the tradition, glamour and stability a monarch represents. The Queen's successor will probably live the same kind of life: the key is to be sensitive to the wants of ordinary people, while also giving them grandeur to admire.