Speaking through his beard: Bishop's barbed comments are only sour note as Baroness Thatcher gets the send-off she deserved
· More than 250,000 lined the streets of London, clapping and cheering as her coffin processed through London
Speaking through his beard: Bishop's barbed comments are only sour note as Baroness Thatcher gets the send-off she deserved
Baroness Thatcher was today honoured with a sombre but spectacular funeral ceremony that paid tribute to the ‘courage and perseverance’ of Britain's greatest peacetime prime minister.
An estimated 250,000 mourners lined the streets to pay tribute, and broke into spontaneous applause, cheers and whistles of support that rang around the streets of London as the coffin passed them.
Mourners also threw white roses in the path of the gun carriage that carried Lady Thatcher through the capital, while those inside St Paul's Cathedral for her service openly sobbed, including Chancellor George Osborne.
Outside on the streets the widespread protests and disorder that had been predicted failed to happen, with only a few boos being heard.
But the Bishop of London struck the day's one sour note with his address, referring to the Tolpuddle Martyrs and how Lady Thatcher was just an ordinary woman in a series of barbed comments.
Controversial: The Bishop of London struck the day's one sour note with his address, referring to the Tolpuddle Martyrs and how Lady Thatcher was just an ordinary woman in a series of barbed comments, while David Cameron gave a reading
Back in Parliament: Baroness Thatcher's coffin resting in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft beneath the Palace of Westminster
More than 4,000 officers will be on duty today in an attempt to guard against violent demonstrations.
Shops that line the route of the procession have been warned to hide anything which could be used as a weapon by protesters.
Businesses have also been asked to deploy private security and block off entrances to building in an attempt to crack down on the possibility of violent demonstrations.
Police have been urged to act against plans to insult Lady Thatcher's funeral after hundreds of protesters pledged to turn their backs on the coffin of the former Prime Minister as it travels through Central London.
Another unorthodox protest expected to take place is throwing milk on the road in an ironic gesture aimed at the woman once known as the 'milk snatcher'.
Poignant: A tri-service bearer party, drawn from ships, squadrons and regiments associated with the Falklands, take the coffin on their shoulders as the gun carriage draws away
The Right Reverend Richard Chartres said: 'After the storm of a life led in the heat of political controversy, there is a great calm. The storm of conflicting opinions centres on the Mrs Thatcher who became a symbolic figure - even an ism.
'Today the remains of the real Margaret Hilda Thatcher are here at her funeral service.
'Her upbringing was in the Methodism to which this country owes a huge debt. When it was time to challenge the political and economic status quo in nineteenth century Britain, it was so often the Methodists who took the lead. The Tolpuddle Martyrs, for example, were led not by proto-Marxists but by Methodist lay preachers.'
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle who founded the very first trade union movement in protest at the lowering of their wages.
They were convicted of contravening the obscure law of swearing a secret oath and transported to Australia for seven years.
Dignitaries queued as the doors to St Paul's opened. Former prime ministers Tony Blair and Sir John Major arrived together, before David Cameron arrived with his wife Samantha.
The Prime Minister told the congregation in his tribute: 'In the end, the breaking of the mould, the difficult decisions (Lady Thatcher made), led to less division, less strife at the end of it.'
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attended the service, the first political funeral the Monarch has attended since Winston Churchill's in 1965.
Family: Lady Thatcher's grandchildren, Amanda and Michael (left), wait for their grandmother's coffin to arrive at St Paul's as her son, Mark and his wife Sarah enter
Lady Thatcher's twins Sir Mark and Carol looked moved throughout and her grandchildren Michael and Amanda, who gave a reading, were waiting at the cathedral door holding cushions bearing the insignia of the Order of the Garter and the Order of Merit, which they then placed on the Dome Altar as the coffin arrived.
The Bishop of London went on in his address: 'Lying here, she is one of us, subject to the common destiny of all human beings.'
He added: 'There is an important place for debating policies and legacy; for assessing the impact of political decisions on the everyday lives of individuals and communities.
'Parliament held a frank debate last week - but here and today is neither the time nor the place.'
He said: 'This, at Lady Thatcher's personal request, is a funeral service, not a memorial service with the customary eulogies.
'At such a time, the parson should not aspire to the judgments which are proper to the politician; instead this is a place for ordinary human compassion of the kind that is reconciling.
Down to a T: The former prime minister meticulously planned how the farewell service will run, from the singing to who gives the readings
Mr Cameron said Lady Thatcher was a much more subtle politician than people often gave her credit for, and did not rush into confrontations.
'One of the things about her legacy is some of those big arguments that she had everyone now accepts,' he said.
'No one wants to go back to trade unions that are undemocratic or one-sided nuclear disarmament, or having great private businesses in the public sector.'
Mr Cameron, who was 12 when Lady Thatcher came to power in 1979, said her influence was partly responsible for him joining the Conservatives.
He said his aim was to take the “resolution” Lady Thatcher brought to economic problems and apply it to Britain’s social problems.
Many of those who gathered on the pavements, had been camping out overnight to get the best view, and were dressed in sombre colours for the occasion.
Before being transferred to the gun carriage that would take her to St Paul's, prayers were said by St Clement Danes resident chaplain the Rev David Osborn. Her coffin was then taken by six black horses slowly, led by a brass band, to St Paul's.
As a mark of respect all Union flags and the national flags of the UK were lowered to half-mast at buildings she passed.
Sarah, Duchess of York, was among the first to arrive. The former wife of the Duke of York, wearing a black dress and matching hat, arrived shortly after the cathedral doors opened. Broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan was also among the first mourners.
Margaret Kittle, 79, said she travelled from Canada for the funeral as soon as she heard of Lady Thatcher's death, taking up her position outside the historic landmark at 8am yesterday.
'It was a cold night, the damp goes through you,' she said. 'But I always said I would come to the UK for Margaret Thatcher's funeral because I respect her.
'I think the spots we have here are very good because this way we can see everything and everyone arriving. I spent 50 hours waiting for the Queen Mother's funeral so this isn't the first time I have done this.
'I think she did a lot for the world. She was an intelligent lady - a chemist and a lawyer - and a lovely lady as well. Apparently she always made her husband Denis's breakfast.'
Processing in: The service, cond
ucted by the Bishop of London, the Right Rev Richard Chartres, a long-standing friend of Lady Thatcher, will reflect her public love of her country and her private literary tastes
A tri-service party of pallbearers of 10 personnel, led by an Officer and Garrison Sergeant Major of the Welsh Guards, then carried the coffin out of the church and placed it on a gun carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
Led by a band of HM Royal Marines, the gun carriage moved off in procession from St Clement Danes to St Paul’s Cathedral for the funeral service.
Lady Thatcher was now re-united with the Falklands units and military personnel who would escort her to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Then the applause came once again from the onlookers - only this time it was louder than before and came in a boom rather than a ripple.
The crowds had slowly grown after the morning rush hour from the odd commuter passing by to include well-wishers, tourists and some people who were not fans of the former prime minister.
Two St George’s flags flew at half-mast from either side of the church, which was closely guarded by pairs of uniformed police wearing white gloves at every entrance.
Mrs Kittle, a retired nurse from Winona, Canada, added: 'We will never see the likes of Mrs Thatcher again.'
John Loughrey, who was dressed head-to-toe in Union Jack clothing, arrived at St Paul's shortly after Mrs Kittle yesterday morning.
'I came in respect of Lady Thatcher,' the 58-year-old said.
'She came to power in a man's world and she won. Everything she fought for, she won.
'She was a great politician. We were living in the dark and she brought us back to the light. She put the 'great' back in Great Britain.'
In Whitehall, opposite Downing Street, housewife Wafa Alsamarrai, 59, said: 'Mrs Thatcher was a great lady. She did a lot of good things for the country.'
Standing in the rain with Mrs Alsamarrai was grandmother Maria Ruotolo, 78, from Fulham, who said she had 'nothing but good memories' of Lady Thatcher.
Next to her was Jane Moss, 66, also from Fulham. She said: 'Mrs Thatcher was a real lady. I met her once and she was so nice and kind to my daughter Lucy who was just seven at the time.'
American Robert Cunningham, 29, diverted his holiday in Norway to make it to the funeral.
He said: 'She was a foreign prime minister, regardless of the good, bad or otherwise.
'She did a lot for our country, a lot for the relationship between the UK and the USA.
'She was a powerful lady, she stood by what she believed, even if it was not popular.'
Patriots: A man holds a Union Jack umbrella as he leans against a post box as crowds prepare to welcome Lady Thatcher's coffin at St Paul's
Richard Sibley, 63, of Chigwell, Essex, said he was pleased not to see any protesters outside St Paul’s ahead of the funeral.
He said: 'She deserves it, she deserves every respect of this occasion.
'There are always people who want to write things down but she put the "Great" back in Britain.
'Although people in mining communities say she destroyed them, it was the democratic right of the people of this country.'
Conservative Future member Thomas Burley travelled from Barry, South Wales, to watch proceedings at St Paul’s.
The 25-year-old said: 'I’ve come to see the funeral of probably the greatest prime minister we have known.
'I don’t think many people from Barry would agree - but I do know there are a few people I know in Wales who think the world of her.
'I do believe personally the unions had to be broken. They chose to strike, she did not choose it - they chose it, without a ballot.'
Address: The Right Reverend Richard Chartres said: 'After the storm of a life led in the heat of political controversy, there is a great calm. The storm of conflicting opinions centres on the Mrs Thatcher who became a symbolic figure - even an ism'
Grief: Lady Thatcher's grandchildren Michael and Amanda wait at the cathedral entrance holding cushions bearing the insignia of the Order of the Garter and the Order of Merit, which they then placed on the Dome Altar
Guests: The Duchess of York and army veteran Simon Weston, who suffered horrific injuries during the Falklands War, arrive at St Paul's to pay their respects
Grief: Lady Thatcher's press secretary Bernard Ingham (left) and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond (right) prepare to take their seats inside the cathedral
Applause greeted Baroness Thatcher as the hearse carrying her coffin arrived at St Clement Danes church.
Just after 10.05am her coffin, draped in the Union flag and topped with a large white bouquet, was gently eased on to the shoulders of four pallbearers and carried in to the church.
St Clement Danes church, the RAF chapel on The Strand, is where the coffin was carefully transferred to a gun carriage and borne in procession to St Paul’s Cathedral for the funeral service.
Statues of Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, commander-in-chief of RAF Bomber Command from 1942 to 1945, and Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding who led Fighter Command from 1936 to 1940, stood proud and protectively as the hearse arrived.
The gentle clapping was in stark contrast to the sound of loud church bells which had pealed out from 9.45am ahead of her arrival.
It was the first activity of the funeral procession for the crowds who also saw lines of military personnel march by in precision waves.
With the coffin now out of view, the crowds stood in silence except for the sound of a military band playing in the background.
Then the words “Oh beautiful” could be heard as the pristine gun carriage pulled in at 10.19am.
There was silence as the crowds, pinned back by barriers, waited patiently for another glimpse of the coffin.
The loud church bells signalled movement at just before 10.30am and hundreds of cameras which were being held by members of the public to try to catch a personal memento of the historic event.
City of London Police have told businesses along the route to remove 'dustbins, ladders or loose tools and equipment, which could be used to gain access or used as weapons'.
Shops and offices were further warned to make sure security officers have a 'visible presence' and that their buildings do not have too many accessible entry points.
In a letter to local businesses, officers advised them to make sure their CCTV systems were operating and stock up on emergency and first aid supplies.
They also asked shopkeepers to report 'suspicious behaviour', such as people wearing unusually bulky clothing or asking detailed questions about security arrangements.
More than 2,000 guests have been invited to Baroness Thatcher’s funeral as old friends and foes, world leaders past and present, celebrities and Royalty gather to pay their last respects to Britain’s greatest peacetime prime minister.
A guest list including all surviving former British prime ministers, all former US presidents and a representative of former South African president Nelson Mandela was drawn up by Lady Thatcher’s family, with advice from Whitehall.
Almost all the world’s current heads of state are being asked to attend or send representatives - a move which, along with the highly unusual presence of The Queen - effectively elevates it to a state occasion.
Other invitees range from Hillary Clinton to Tony Blair, Jeremy Clarkson to Falklands veteran Simon Weston, and from Sir David Frost to Shirley Bassey.
Lady Thatcher is said to have been amused by the idea that some of her former political enemies would be among those who gathered at St Paul’s Cathedral for the most high-profile political funeral since that of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.
To the surprise of some, the list therefore includes the two former colleagues who did most to bring about her downfall in 1990. They are former Foreign Secretary Lord Howe, whose resignation speech paved the way for the leadership challenge that ousted her from Number Ten, and former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine, who ran against her.
Her longest-running political opponent, former Labour leader Lord Kinnock, has also been asked to attend, though he has decided to miss the occasion in order to attend the funeral of a former Labour councillor in his old constituency. Mr Blair and wife Cherie and Gordon and Sarah Brown will be there, however.
All surviving members of Lady Thatcher’s various Cabinets are asked, as are all members of the current Cabinet.
Neither former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, nor Nancy Reagan, widow of Lady Thatcher’s intimate ally President Ronald Reagan, could take up their invitations, for health reasons.
In a nod to the military presence at the funeral, the dress code gives guests the option of ‘full day ceremonial without swords’, as well as ‘morning dress (black waistcoat and black tie)’, “dark suit” or “day dress with hat”.
As a lover of poetry, she chose Little Gidding from Four Quartets which was written by one of her favourite poets TS Eliot and is printed on the front page of the Order of Service.
Another favourite, William Wordsworth’s Ode: Intimations of Immortality is printed on the final page of the Order of Service.
Her grandchildren will take centre stage with her son Mark’s children Michael, 24, and his sister Amanda, 20, walking ahead of the coffin as it enters the cathedral. Amanda will also give a reading.
They will carry cushions bearing the insignia of the Order of the Garter and the Order of Merit - two honours Thatcher received from the Queen.
Lady Thatcher also refused a grand floral tribute, instead asking for two ‘modest displays’ of white lilies and greenery at the foot of the lectern and a ring of flowers round the candle.
She also asked that wellwishers donate to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea pensioners who will line the west steps of the cathedral as her coffin arrives, rather than send flowers.
People from all over the world have come to London to pay their respects.
Looking on in Whitehall was Australian mother-of-two Geraldine Fenn, 47, who was in London for her husband’s business conference.
'I remember Margaret Thatcher in a very positive light,' said Mrs Fenn, who is from Melbourne.
'I know there were difficulties over the miners but as I grew older I realised that Britain needed to change.”
Teams of police arrived on the Strand at 7am and had closed the road to traffic by 8am.
Officers would be placed at intervals of 10 metres - or seven barriers - along the whole route, with more at crossings, one said.
Others patrolled the road on motorbike and horseback, with more on the pavements on foot.
Read more: xclusivetalk.blogspot.com
City of London Police have told businesses along the route to remove 'dustbins, ladders or loose tools and equipment, which could be used to gain access or used as weapons'.
Shops and offices were further warned to make sure security officers have a 'visible presence' and that their buildings do not have too many accessible entry points.
In a letter to local businesses, officers advised them to make sure their CCTV systems were operating and stock up on emergency and first aid supplies.
They also asked shopkeepers to report 'suspicious behaviour', such as people wearing unusually bulky clothing or asking detailed questions about security arrangements.
More than 2,000 guests have been invited to Baroness Thatcher’s funeral as old friends and foes, world leaders past and present, celebrities and Royalty gather to pay their last respects to Britain’s greatest peacetime prime minister.
A guest list including all surviving former British prime ministers, all former US presidents and a representative of former South African president Nelson Mandela was drawn up by Lady Thatcher’s family, with advice from Whitehall.
Almost all the world’s current heads of state are being asked to attend or send representatives - a move which, along with the highly unusual presence of The Queen - effectively elevates it to a state occasion.
Other invitees range from Hillary Clinton to Tony Blair, Jeremy Clarkson to Falklands veteran Simon Weston, and from Sir David Frost to Shirley Bassey.
Lady Thatcher is said to have been amused by the idea that some of her former political enemies would be among those who gathered at St Paul’s Cathedral for the most high-profile political funeral since that of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.
To the surprise of some, the list therefore includes the two former colleagues who did most to bring about her downfall in 1990. They are former Foreign Secretary Lord Howe, whose resignation speech paved the way for the leadership challenge that ousted her from Number Ten, and former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine, who ran against her.
Her longest-running political opponent, former Labour leader Lord Kinnock, has also been asked to attend, though he has decided to miss the occasion in order to attend the funeral of a former Labour councillor in his old constituency. Mr Blair and wife Cherie and Gordon and Sarah Brown will be there, however.
All surviving members of Lady Thatcher’s various Cabinets are asked, as are all members of the current Cabinet.
Neither former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, nor Nancy Reagan, widow of Lady Thatcher’s intimate ally President Ronald Reagan, could take up their invitations, for health reasons.
In a nod to the military presence at the funeral, the dress code gives guests the option of ‘full day ceremonial without swords’, as well as ‘morning dress (black waistcoat and black tie)’, “dark suit” or “day dress with hat”.
As a lover of poetry, she chose Little Gidding from Four Quartets which was written by one of her favourite poets TS Eliot and is printed on the front page of the Order of Service.
Another favourite, William Wordsworth’s Ode: Intimations of Immortality is printed on the final page of the Order of Service.
Her grandchildren will take centre stage with her son Mark’s children Michael, 24, and his sister Amanda, 20, walking ahead of the coffin as it enters the cathedral. Amanda will also give a reading.
They will carry cushions bearing the insignia of the Order of the Garter and the Order of Merit - two honours Thatcher received from the Queen.
Lady Thatcher also refused a grand floral tribute, instead asking for two ‘modest displays’ of white lilies and greenery at the foot of the lectern and a ring of flowers round the candle.
She also asked that wellwishers donate to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea pensioners who will line the west steps of the cathedral as her coffin arrives, rather than send flowers.
People from all over the world have come to London to pay their respects.
Looking on in Whitehall was Australian mother-of-two Geraldine Fenn, 47, who was in London for her husband’s business conference.
'I remember Margaret Thatcher in a very positive light,' said Mrs Fenn, who is from Melbourne.
'I know there were difficulties over the miners but as I grew older I realised that Britain needed to change.”
Teams of police arrived on the Strand at 7am and had closed the road to traffic by 8am.
Officers would be placed at intervals of 10 metres - or seven barriers - along the whole route, with more at crossings, one said.
Others patrolled the road on motorbike and horseback, with more on the pavements on foot.
Read more: xclusivetalk.blogspot.com
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