Queen Mother

LONDON -- She enjoys her gin and tonics like any practiced barfly at the racetrack and she comes across occasionally as a flighty old bat who fell into a box of pastel paints, but she's perfectly capable of telling the Queen of England to get her regal act together -- and getting away with it. Meet Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and on doing so it's wise to remember that title should be spoken as it is written -- in capital letters. For behind the beguiling smile that has made her the people's perennial favorite among Britain's royals lurks a character tough as the titanium that forms the joints of her century-old hips.

* Queen Zein al-Sharaf, 86, mother of King Hussein of Jordan and one of the protectors of his throne during Jordan's political turbulence in the 1950s, died of heart failure yesterday in a hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland. She married King Talal in 1934 and had four children: Hussein, Prince Mohammed, Prince Hassan and Princess Basma. King Talal died in 1974. The queen mother became the first chairwoman of the Jordanian Women's Federation in 1944 and led foundations for orphans, the needy and the elderly.

Jackson leads march for liberation on tape"Jackson the liberator should have come a bit earlier," one Hungarian said as pop star Michael Jackson took on a music video role freeing Eastern Europe from Soviet domination.Witnesses at yesterday's filming said Mr. Jackson led marching troops amid a shower of confetti and the cheers of spectators.On Saturday, Mr. Jackson and his bride, the former Lisa Marie Presley, distributed toys Saturday in two children's hospitals. The trip is their first public appearance together since Elvis Presley's daughter revealed last week that they had married secretly several months ago.Millions coming to royal sonsThe sons of Prince Charles and his estranged wife, Princess Diana, will share $7.5 million on their 21st birthdays and $12.3 million more on their 40th birthdays, a British newspaper reported yesterday.

LONDON - As a king's wife, queen's mother and nation's grandmother, the woman Britons affectionately call the Queen Mum has fulfilled a variety of roles in her life. Today, she takes on another, by celebrating her 100th birthday and thereby becoming Britain's most famous centenarian. All summer the nation has been celebrating - Queen Elizabeth, the queen mother, is a singular public figure, seldom heard yet frequently seen, a beloved member of an often troubled monarchy. She has been a power behind two thrones: her husband's, King George VI, and her daughter's, Queen Elizabeth II. When Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was born, Queen Victoria ruled Britain's empire and William McKinley was in the White House.

Editor's note: Extra-large amounts of courage can sometimes be found in extra-small packages. Once upon a time there lived a princess who was very beautiful, but also very small. And some nasty people said that she was too small to be a real princess, because real princesses were tall and elegant. They said it quietly so that no one could hear them. But they were not quiet enough. The princess heard what they said, and it made her sad. One day, Little Princess Leonora -- for that was her name -- went to find the Queen Mother, who was not only her grandmother but also her best friend.

On April 11, 2005, ELLA WEIR QUEEN, beloved wife of the late Eustace A. Queen, dear mother of David J. Queen, Kathleen Q. Peterson and John R. Queen, dear grandmother of Barbara and Daniel Queen, Stephen Peterson, Corah and Elizabeth Queen, dear mother-in-law of Linda Queen and Roberta Medford. Friends may call at the home of Kathleen Peterson on Friday, 4 to 8 P.M. Interment private. Please omit flowers. Contributions may be made to the Charity of Your Choice. Arrangements by the family owned Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home, Inc.

On December 18, 2009, QUEEN, beloved mother of Elsie, Jesse, Dallas, Angela, Robert, Anthony and Queenie. Visitation at Calvin B. Scruggs Funeral Home, 1412 E. Preston St. on Tuesday, 2 to 7 P.M. and Wednesday 12 to 3 P.M. Family will receive friends on Wednesday, December 23rd, at Second Antioch Baptist Church, 2001 E. Baltimore Street, from 6 to 6:30 P.M., at which time funeral will begin. Interment, December 24th, Antioch Baptist Church. Cemetery, Emporia, Virginia

ETON, England -- He will be just another boy on his first day at a new school.Like 249 other newcomers, he will learn to put on a 19th century uniform that includes a tail-coat, waistcoat and pin-striped trousers. He will be instructed to raise a forefinger to acknowledge a passing teacher. And he will tour the Upper School, where the white marble busts of prime ministers and poets loom over the other graduates whose names are carved on brown panels.Tomorrow, Prince William, second in line to the throne of England, will come of age and go to Eton College.

Frances Shand Kydd, 68, mother of the late Princess Diana, died yesterday, said a spokesman for her son, Earl Spencer. Mrs. Shand Kydd's health had been failing in recent months. The grandmother of Princes William and Harry, she had an often-turbulent relationship with Diana and lived reclusively. She was born Frances Ruth Burke Roche, daughter of the Fourth Baron Fermoy. Her mother, Lady Ruth Fermoy, was a confidante and lady in waiting to the Queen Mother and was said to have promoted Diana's marriage to Prince Charles.