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Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher

Date	8 April 2013 (death) 17 April 2013 (planned funeral date)
Location	London, England

Margaret Thatcher, former Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, died in London on 8 April 2013 at the age of 87.

Illness and death

Thatcher suffered several small strokes in 2002 and was advised by her doctors not to engage in any more public speaking. On 23 March, she announced the cancellation of her planned speaking engagements and that she would accept no more.

Despite her illness, she made a few public appearances after 2002, including pre-recording her eulogy at the funeral of Ronald Reagan in 2004, and at a celebration of her 80th birthday in 2005 with the Queen and 650 other guests in attendance. Although she was described by the BBC as " frail", an ex-Cabinet minister said at the time: "She, to everybody's surprise, made a speech and was also very witty and entertaining and we were just pleased to see her in such good shape". However, her health continued to decline as the decade went on; she was briefly hospitalised in 2008 after feeling unwell during a dinner, and again after falling and fracturing her arm in 2009. Carol Thatcher spoke to the press of her mother's struggle with dementia.

Thatcher died at approximately 11:00 BST (10:00 UTC) on 8 April 2013 at The Ritz Hotel in London after suffering a stroke. She had been staying in a suite at The Ritz since Christmas, after having difficulty with stairs at her Chester Square home. Lord Bell, Thatcher's spokesman, confirmed her death in a press release issued at 12:52 BST (11:52 UTC). The Union Flag was flown at half-mast at Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, Parliament and other palaces, and flowers were laid outside her home.

Funeral

Thatcher's funeral will be held at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 17 April, following a procession from Westminster. The route of the procession will be as follows:

• From the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft beneath St Stephen's Hall at the Palace of Westminster, the hearse will travel down Whitehall, across Trafalgar Square and down the Strand and Aldwych;
• At St Clement Danes, the central church of the RAF, at the eastern end of the Strand, the coffin will be drawn on a gun carriage by the King's Troop Royal Artillery;
• The procession will continue down Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill before arriving at St Paul's Cathedral.

The funeral will be similar to the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, except it will have more military honours as a former head of government. Thatcher's body will be cremated after the funeral, in accordance with her wishes.

Planning for the funeral was started in 2009. The committee was originally chaired by Sir Malcolm Ross, the Queen's former Master of the Royal Household. Following the 2010 general election that brought the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition into power the codename given to the plans was changed to "True Blue" to give it "a more Conservative feel". Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude was made the new chairmanship of the committee.

Reactions

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Official

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United Kingdom

• A Buckingham Palace spokesman announced: "The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family."
• Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit abroad and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast. He issued a statement saying, "Today is a truly sad day for our country. We've lost a great Prime Minister, a great leader, a great Briton. As our first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds, and the real thing about Margaret Thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country, she saved our country. I believe she'll go down as the greatest British peacetime Prime Minister."
• Leader of the Opposition and Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "The Labour Party disagreed with much of what she did and she will always remain a controversial figure. But we can disagree and also greatly respect her political achievements and her personal strength."
• The Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, said that "Margaret Thatcher was one of the the defining figures in modern British politics. Whatever side of the political debate you stand on, no one can deny that as prime minister she left a unique and lasting imprint on the country she served. She may have divided opinion during her time in politics but everyone will be united today in acknowledging the strength of her personality and the radicalism of her politics"
• Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond said: "Margaret Thatcher was a truly formidable prime minister whose policies defined a political generation. No doubt there will now be a renewed debate about the impact of that legacy. Today, however, the proper reaction should be respect and condolences to her family."
• Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, while expressing sympathy to her family, criticised her policies' effects on Wales, concluding: "I would urge everyone to use the energy that could be taken up mulling over her economic legacy to think creatively about how we overturn it. Let's turn this into a time for all of us in Wales to decide collectively, as a society, that we want to create a future that is better than the past."
• Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams condemned "the great hurt done to the Irish and British people during her time as British prime minister", adding: "Here in Ireland, her espousal of old draconian militaristic policies prolonged the war and caused great suffering."
• UKIP leader Nigel Farage said that he was "very sad to hear of the death of.. "a great patriotic lady.", and that Britain "went from being the sick man of Europe to being the most dynamic economy in Europe.”

International

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, described Thatcher as "a great model as the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who not only demonstrated her leadership but has given such great hope for many women for equality, gender equality in Parliament."

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who, like Thatcher, became the first female leader of her country, said: "As a woman I am admiring of her achievements on becoming the first woman to lead the United Kingdom, the first female prime minister there. For women around the world they will be reflecting on the loss of a woman who showed a new way forward for women, and a way into leadership."

Marin Raykov, premier and foreign minister of Bulgaria, stated that "Lady Thatcher was among those great personalities who...turned the course of history and led the way to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism. That, for all of us on the other side of the Iron Curtain, meant being free, to which Baroness Thatcher made an indisputable contribution."

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, stated: "While many in positions of power are defined by the times in which they govern, Margaret Thatcher had that rarest of abilities to herself personify and define the age in which she served. Indeed, with the success of her economic policies, she defined contemporary conservatism itself." and, "I recall with pride her eloquent portrayal of the philosophical groundings of the principles that have - and I hope forever will - unite the British and Canadian peoples."

Mike Summers, Member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, said: "Our sincere gratitude was demonstrated in 1983 when she was granted the Freedom of the Falkland Islands. Her friendship and support will be sorely missed." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "She shaped modern Great Britain as few have before or since. She was one of the greatest leaders in World politics of her time. The freedom of the individual was at the centre of her beliefs so she recognised very early the power of the movements for freedom in Eastern Europe. And she supported them. I will never forget her contribution in overcoming Europe's partition and the end of the Cold War."

Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung sent a condolence message, stating "Baroness Thatcher will be remembered as the British Prime Minister whose signature appears on the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in Beijing in December 1984." He said the agreement marked the beginning of Hong Kong's transition and return to China in 1997, when the 'One country, two systems' principle was successfully implemented.."

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "expressed his deepest sympathies", saying: "She was a transformative figure under whom the United Kingdom registered important progress on the national and international arena".

Irish President Michael D. Higgins extended his condolences saying: "She will be remembered as one of the most conviction-driven British Prime Ministers who drew on a scholarship that demanded markets without regulation" and that "her key role in signing the Anglo-Irish Agreement will be recalled as a valuable early contribution to the search for peace and political stability."

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said "The passing of Margaret Thatcher is obviously a very sad day for her family and Great Britain", and that "She will be remembered as a very strong and determined leader that faced some real challenges."

Barack Obama, President of the USA, released a statement saying "As an unapologetic supporter of our transatlantic alliance, she knew that with strength and resolve we could win the Cold War and extend freedom's promise. With the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend."

Former USSR Premier Mikhail Gorbachev said that Thatcher was a "great politician" and one "whose words carried great weight", adding that her death was "sad news".

Others

Many reactions were less sympathetic, particularly from her opponents.Residents in Orgreave, South Yorkshire, site of the Battle of Orgreave between striking coal miners and British police in June 1984, declared that their village had been "decimated by Thatcher". The Associated Press quoted a number of British miners as responding to her death simply with: "good riddance". The Daily Telegraph was forced to close comments on all articles related to Thatcher because of hateful "abuse".

When news of Thatcher's death broke out, spontaneous street parties were held across the UK in celebration. These took place in Glasgow, Brixton, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds, Belfast and elsewhere, despite opposition from some of the local authorities. Some were organised through social media. There were also less sympathetic reactions in Argentina, in regards to her legacy during the Falklands War, and in South Africa, because of her record on apartheid.

Some politicians also spoke out against her. MP George Galloway tweeted the phrase "Tramp the dirt down" after hearing of Thatcher's death, in reference to Elvis Costello's 1989 song by the same name about dancing on Thatcher's grave. He later added "Margaret Thatcher described Nelson Mandela as a 'terrorist'. I was there. I saw her lips move. May she burn in the hellfires." Retired MP Tony Benn stated, "She did make war on a lot of people in Britain and I don't think it helped our society", and former London mayor Ken Livingstone said "In actual fact, every real problem we face today is the legacy of the fact she was fundamentally wrong."

There was also reaction against her from unions. Chris Kitchen, general-secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, stated: "We've been waiting for a long time to hear the news of Baroness Thatcher's demise, and I can't say I'm sorry. I've got no sympathy for Margaret Thatcher and I will not be shedding a tear for her." Paul Kenny, Secretary of the GMB Labour Union stated "Mrs Thatcher was a powerful politician who will be remembered by many for the destructive and divisive policies she reigned over which in the end, even in the Tory (Conservative) party, proved to be her downfall. Her legacy involves the destruction of communities, the elevation of personal greed over social values and legitimizing the exploitation of the weak by the strong."

Anti-Thatcher sentiment also prompted campaigns on social media networks to bring the song "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" (from The Wizard of Oz) to number 1. It had reached number 22 in the iTunes download chart 24 hours after her death. Elvis Costello's "Tramp the Dirt Down" had reached number 79 in the same period.

References

Citations

1. "Statement from the office of the Rt Hon Baroness Thatcher LG OM FRS" (Press release). Margaret Thatcher Foundation. 22 March 2002. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
2. Campbell 2003, pp. 796–798
3. "Thatcher marks 80th with a speech". 13 October 2005. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
4. "Lady Thatcher treated after fall". 12 June 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
5. "Lady Thatcher to stay in hospital". 13 June 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
6. Rayner, Gordon; Swinford, Steven. "Margaret Thatcher dies of stroke aged 87". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
7. "Obituary". Margaret Thatcher Foundation. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
8. Swinford, Steven. "Margaret Thatcher: final moments in hotel without her family by her bedside". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
9. "Ex-Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher dies". BBC News. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
10. "Flags fly at half-mast over London Palaces". 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
11. ^ "World pays tribute to Margaret Thatcher - Europe". Al Jazeera English. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
12. "Margaret Thatcher funeral set for next week". BBC News. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
13. "No state funeral for Margaret Thatcher". The Guardian. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
14. Oliver Wright (09 APRIL 2013). "Margaret Thatcher's funeral: A True Blue occasion that has been four years in the making". The Independent . {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
15. ^ "Margaret Thatcher dies: Reaction in quotes". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
16. "Margaret Thatcher dead: 'Iron Lady' mourned but critics speak out". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
17. "Margaret Thatcher dies: Reaction in quotes". BBC News Online. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
18. "Former Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dies after stroke". 8 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
19. "For a future that is better than the past - Leanne Wood marks the death of Margaret Thatcher [Plaid Cymru website, English version]". 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
20. ^ "Little sympathy for Margaret Thatcher among former opponents". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
21. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/09/margaret-thatcher-dead-nigel-farage_n_3044910.html
22. "United Nations News Centre - Praising 'Iron Lady,' Ban says 'We will owe a great deal to her leadership'". Un.org. 8 November 1989. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
23. Katharine Murphy in Canberra. "Julia Gillard leads Australian tributes to Margaret Thatcher | Politics | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
24. "Margaret Thatcher will remain forever in history as an inspirational leader of the Free World". 8 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
25. Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. http://www.http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&featureId=6&pageId=49&id=5398. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
26. "CY Leung: CE mourns Thatcher". new.gov.hk. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
27. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-death-world-reaction
28. "President Higgins: Thatcher's legacy will be debated for many years". Thejournal.ie. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
29. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/8526416/Key-pays-tribute-to-Thatcher
30. "Statement from the President on the Passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher | The White House". Whitehouse.gov. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
31. "Margaret Thatcher dead: Yorkshire pit village destroyed by former Prime Minister celebrates". Mirror. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
32. "Durham coalfield rejoices at Margaret Thatcher's death". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
33. Tom Farmery (April 9 2013). "'Tramp the dirt down': a nation remains divided in Margaret Thatcher's death". The Times. Many in the crowds opened champagne and sang anti-Thatcher ... {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
34. ^ "Left's chorus of hatred: Champagne in the streets, students union cheers and vile internet taunts". Daily Mail. 8 April 2013.
35. "Margaret Thatcher's death greeted with little sympathy by Orgreave veterans". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
36. "AFP: Miners say 'good riddance' to Thatcher". Google.com. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
37. Mayer Nissim (April 8 2013). "'Daily Telegraph' closes Margaret Thatcher comments due to abuse". Digital Spy. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
38. Paul Cockerton (9 April 2013). "Margaret Thatcher dead: Street parties held across the UK to mark passing of PM". Daily Mirror.
39. Sam Casey (9 April 2013). "Leeds street party celebrates Thatcher death". Yorkshire Evening Post.
40. Alex Stevenson (9 April 2013). "Video: Police move in as Brixton celebrates Thatcher's death". politics.co.uk.
41. "The flames of hatred: 30 years of loathing for Baroness Thatcher explodes in celebrations of her death. Will funeral now be targeted?". Daily Mail. 9 April 2013.
42. "No UK taboo: Unlike in America, some Britons happy to publicly celebrate former leader's death". Washington Post. Associated Press. 9 April 2013.
43. "Margaret Thatcher's death greeted with street parties in Brixton and Glasgow". 8 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
44. "Police make arrests at Thatcher death street parties in Bristol and Brixton". 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 201. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
45. "Council response to social media comments about Baroness Thatcher and George Square". 4 April 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
46. "Scores gather in Glasgow for 'party' to mark Thatcher's death". 7 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
47. "Glasgow City Council criticises George Square Thatcher 'party'". 8 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
48. "Thatcher's Deed - Party in George Square - Tonight!".
49. "Argentina recalls Thatcher's Falklands legacy - Americas". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
50. "For Margaret Thatcher, few tears shed in South Africa". Global Post. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
51. "Margaret Thatcher's death greeted with little sympathy by Orgreave veterans". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
52. Scowen, Peter (8 April 2013). "'Tramp the dirt down': Why some don't want Margaret Thatcher to rest in peace". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
53. "Anger at George Galloway's 'tramp the dirt down' Twitter remark after Thatcher's death". London Evening Standard. 08 April 2013. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
54. ^ "Factbox: British reaction to the death of Margaret Thatcher". 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
55. "Margaret Thatcher death: Funeral date announced". 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
56. "'Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead' Enters iTunes Chart Top 30 After Margaret Thatcher Dies". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
57. Sean Michaels. "Anti-Thatcher sentiment primed to sweep through singles charts | Music | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
58. Adam Sherwin (5 April 2013). "'Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead' could reach number one following Margaret Thatcher's death - News - Music". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2013.

Bibliography

• Campbell, John (2003). Margaret Thatcher; Volume Two: The Iron Lady. Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-6781-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

v t e Margaret Thatcher
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1979–1990) Leader of the Conservative Party (1975–1990) MP for Finchley (1959–1992)
Member of Parliament	Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act (1960) Circular 10/70 (1970) Shadow Cabinet "Britain Awake" (1976) Vote of no confidence in the Callaghan ministry (1979)
Ideology	Thatcherism Conservatism Free market Union democracy
Premiership	Ministers wets and dries Cold War 1st term 2nd–3rd term 1st ministry (1979–1983) Budget (1979) Budget (1980) "The lady's not for turning" (1980) Budget (1981) Gang of 25 Irish hunger strike (1981) Budget (1982) Falklands War (1982) "Rejoice" Diana Gould exchange "White flags over Port Stanley" Budget (1983) 2nd ministry (1983–1987) Budget (1984) Brighton hotel bombing (1984) GCHQ trade union ban (1984) CCSU case Miners' strike (1984–85) Budget (1985) Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985) Local Government Act (1985) rate-capping rebellion Westland affair (1986) Budget (1986) Budget (1987) 3rd ministry (1987–1990) Budget (1988) Broadcasting restrictions (1988) "Sermon on the Mound" (1988) Bruges speech (1988) Budget (1989) Community Charge (1989–90) Poll tax riots Budget (1990) Gulf War (1990) "No. No. No." (1990) Resignation Honours (1990)
Party elections	1975 1989 1990
General elections	1979 1983 1987
Books	The Downing Street Years (1993 autobiography) The Path to Power (1995 memoir) Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World (2003)
Family	Denis Thatcher (husband) baronetcy Mark Thatcher (son) Carol Thatcher (daughter) Alfred Roberts (father) "We have become a grandmother" (1989)
Cultural depictions	Film and television Anyone for Denis? (1982 TV play) Spitting Image (1984–1996 & 2020 TV series) The New Statesman (1987–1991 TV series) Thatcher: The Final Days (1991 film) The Falklands Play (2002 play) Jeffrey Archer: The Truth (2002 TV film) The Alan Clark Diaries (2004 TV series) Pinochet in Suburbia (2006 docudrama) The Long Walk to Finchley (2008 film) Margaret (2009 film) The Queen (2009 TV serial) The Iron Lady (2011 film) The Hunt for Tony Blair (2011 episode) In Search of La Che (2011 film) The Crown (2020 TV series) Reagan (2024 film) Plays Handbagged (2010, 2013) The Audience (2013) Statues London Guildhall (1998) Palace of Westminster (2007) Grantham (2022) Paintings Richard Stone portrait
Related	Blatcherism Death and funeral Honours Thatchergate
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