How the Queen’s soft power projected Britain around the world

The Commons Speaker is understood to have refused a request to allow a Chinese delegation to attend the Queen’s lying in state.

The move is in retaliation for China’s sanctions against British parliamentarians who have accused China of mistreating Uighur Muslims.

The row means China may stay away from Monday’s state funeral, which will be packed with the world’s leaders.

Their attendance is a measure of how the late Queen’s influence extended far beyond the Commonwealth and her dwindling number of realms.

Throughout her reign, governments deployed that influence to open up relationships with other countries, and secure new trade and job opportunities for Britain.