Queen Dodges Sword: Elizabeth II Almost Sliced By Mayor

At 86, Queen Elizabeth II can still jump. Lord Mayor Roger Gifford of London was swinging the Mourning Sword at the funeral of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, but neglected to check his blood circle.

The monarch's husband, Prince Phillip, seemed to smile briefly as his wife jumped back to avoid being struck in the midsection by Lord Gifford. The sword had reportedly not been used since the funeral for Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.

Britain nearly crowned a third King Charles, as an Australian newspaper's headline read "Australia came within milimetres of having a new monarch overnight". Charles, Prince of Wales, 64, is Queen Elizabeth's eldest son and heir apparent to the throne. As the nearly 87-years-young monarch continues to stay at her post, Prince Charles has become Britain's longest-living heir apparent. Sources said that some Britons want the royal guidelines changed so that Prince William, now married, could ideally supercede the previously divorced Charles, William's father.