Day_of_the_funeral_and_aftermath Death_and_funeral_of_Margaret_Thatcher

security checks in hours of 17 april, prior funeral service



the coffin bearing remains of thatcher being carried gun carriage



grave of margaret thatcher @ royal hospital chelsea

flags along whitehall lowered half-mast @ 08:00, , rare mark of respect chimes of palace of westminster great clock, including big ben, silenced 09:45 duration of funeral. @ tower of london, 105mm gun fired every 60 seconds during procession. muffled bells tolled @ st margaret s church @ westminster abbey, , @ st paul s.

the funeral cortège commenced @ houses of parliament, thatcher s coffin had lain overnight in chapel of st mary undercroft beneath st stephen s hall @ palace of westminster. funeral procession follows:

from palace of westminster, motor hearse travelled down whitehall, across trafalgar square , down strand , aldwych
at st clement danes, central church of raf, @ eastern end of strand coffin transferred gun carriage drawn king s troop, royal horse artillery
the cortège continued along fleet street , ludgate hill before arrived @ st paul s cathedral
at st paul s, coffin carried cathedral members of british armed forces , borne down nave preceded grandchildren, michael , amanda, carried cushions bearing thatcher s insignia of order of garter , order of merit

the bidding (introductory words) given dean of st paul s, david ison. granddaughter amanda gave first bible reading; second reading given david cameron. bishop of london gave address.

it expected there 2,300 mourners within st paul s cathedral funeral. invitations decided thatcher family , representatives, government , conservative party. guest list included family , friends; former colleagues including former british cabinet members; , personal staff worked closely her. invitations sent representatives of 200 countries, , 5 living presidents of united states , 4 british prime ministers. 2 current heads of state, 11 serving prime ministers, , 17 serving foreign ministers, present.

queen elizabeth ii led mourners @ funeral. marked second time in queen s reign attended funeral of 1 of prime ministers, other time of sir winston churchill in 1965. presence @ funeral interpreted having elevated status [of funeral] of state funeral in name .

following church service, coffin taken motor hearse st paul s cathedral mortlake crematorium, sir denis thatcher had been cremated decade before. cremation service attended immediate family. on 28 september 2013, private , unpublicised service thatcher held in saints chapel of royal hospital chelsea s margaret thatcher infirmary. afterwards thatcher s ashes interred in grounds of hospital, next of husband.