Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher
On 8 April 2013, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, died of a stroke at the Ritz Hotel, London, at the age of 87. On 17 April, she was honoured with a ceremonial funeral. Due to polarised opinions about her achievements and legacy, the reaction to her death was mixed across the UK, including contrasting praise, criticism, and celebrations of her life as well as celebrations of her death.
The funeral included a formal procession through Central London followed by a church service at St Paul's Cathedral attended by Queen Elizabeth II. It cost around £3.6 million, including £3.1 million for security. Thatcher's body was subsequently cremated at Mortlake Crematorium.
Her ashes were buried at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, in a private ceremony on 28 September 2013, alongside those of her husband, Denis.
Funeral[edit]
Planning[edit]
Planning for the funeral began in 2009. The committee was initially chaired by Sir Malcolm Ross, former Master of the Royal Household. Following the 2010 general election that brought the coalition government into power, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude was made the new chairman of the committee; the codename given to the plans was changed to True Blue from Iron Bridge to provide it with "a more Conservative feel".[13][14]
Details of Thatcher's funeral had been agreed with her.[15] She had chosen the hymns, among them Charles Wesley's "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling", which reflected her Methodist upbringing.[16] She also stipulated that the prime minister of the day would read a lesson from the Bible.[17]
Thatcher had previously vetoed a state funeral; reasons included cost, parliamentary deliberation,[18] and that it suggested similar stature to Winston Churchill (with which she disagreed).[19] Instead, with her and her family's agreement, she received a ceremonial funeral,[20] including military honours,[21] a guard of honour, and a service at St Paul's Cathedral, London. The arrangements were similar to those for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002 and for Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, except with greater military honours as she had been a former head of government. Thatcher's body was cremated after the funeral, following her wishes.[22]
Some of Thatcher's supporters expressed disappointment that she would not be given a full state funeral.[18] However, Peter Oborne in The Daily Telegraph argued that the scale of the ceremony amounted to a de facto state funeral and disagreed with the status of a ceremonial funeral. Oborne contended that the Queen's attendance might be seen as "partisan" since she had not attended Labour prime minister Clement Attlee's funeral.[14]
The scale and the cost to the taxpayer of the funeral, inaccurately estimated before the event at up to £10 million in total, was also criticised by public figures including the Bishop of Grantham, Tim Ellis; Lord Prescott and George Galloway.[23][24][25] Thatcher's family agreed to meet part of the cost of the funeral, with the government funding the remainder.[26] After the event, it was reported by 10 Downing Street that in fact the total public spending on the funeral was £3.6 million, of which £3.1 million (86 per cent) had been the costs of police and security.[27]
Anticipating possible protests and demonstrations along the route, police mounted one of the largest security operations since the 2012 Summer Olympics.[28][29] Against the backdrop of the bombings at the Boston Marathon two days earlier, it was announced that over 4,000 police officers would be deployed.[30] In the event, the crowds were peaceful, with supporters drowning out most of the scattered protests with cheers and applause.[31][32] A few hundred people turned up to protest at Ludgate Circus, some shouting and others turning their backs, with other protesters picketing along the route.[33]