It’s on the identical time unprecedented and in addition a deep a part of Britain’s cultural custom: A line many miles lengthy has shaped in London as Britons courageous the weather for hours for an opportunity to pay their respects on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state in Westminster Corridor.

When the queen died final week, some snarky American social-media denizens requested, in essence, what good the British monarchy had ever achieved for anybody. That is the reply.