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.
Illness and death
Thatcher suffered several small strokes in 2002 and was advised by her doctors not to engage in any more public speaking.[1] On 23 March she announced the cancellation of her planned speaking engagements and that she would accept no more.[2] Despite her illness, she pre-recorded a eulogy for the
funeral of Ronald Reagan in June 2004. She attended her 80th birthday celebration in 2005 with the Queen and 650 other guests.[3] However, her health continued to decline; she was briefly hospitalised in 2008 after feeling unwell during a dinner, and again after falling and fracturing her arm in 2009. In June 2009, her daughter
Carol spoke to the press about her mother's struggle with
dementia.[4][5]
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]
Day of the funeral and aftermath
Security checks prior to the service in the early hours of 17 April 2013
Flags along
Whitehall were lowered to
half-mast at 08:00,[31] and as a rare mark of respect the chimes of the
Palace of Westminster's Great Clock, including
Big Ben, were silenced from 09:45 for the duration of the funeral.[34] At the
Tower of London, a 105 mm gun fired every 60 seconds during the procession.[31]: 10.43 am Muffled bells tolled at
St Margaret's Church at Westminster Abbey,[31]: 10.02 am and at St Paul's.
The
funeral cortège commenced at the Houses of Parliament, where Thatcher's coffin had lain overnight in the
Chapel of St Mary Undercroft beneath St Stephen's Hall at the Palace of Westminster.[35] The funeral procession was as follows:
At St Paul's, the coffin was carried into the cathedral by members of the
Armed Forces and borne down the nave preceded by her grandchildren, Michael and Amanda, who carried cushions bearing Thatcher's insignia of the
Order of the Garter and the
Order of Merit.
It was expected that there would be about 2,300 mourners within St Paul's for the funeral. Invitations were decided by the Thatcher family and their representatives, together with the government and the Conservative Party. The guest list included her family and friends; former colleagues, including former
British Cabinet members; and personal staff who worked closely with her. Invitations were also sent to representatives of some 200 countries and to all five living presidents of the United States,[39] although
Jimmy Carter later clarified that he did not receive an invitation;[40] and all four living British prime ministers. Two current heads of state, 11 serving prime ministers and 17 serving foreign ministers were present.[41]
Following the church service, the coffin was taken by motor hearse from St Paul's to
Mortlake Crematorium, where
Denis Thatcher had been cremated nearly a decade before. The cremation service was only attended by the immediate family. On 28 September 2013, a private and unpublicised service for Thatcher was held in the All Saints Chapel of the
Royal Hospital Chelsea's Margaret Thatcher Infirmary. Afterwards, Thatcher's ashes were interred in the hospital's grounds, next to her husband's.[45][46]
On 10 April, two days following Thatcher's death, her son
Mark spoke of his mother's death on the steps of her Chester Square home. He told journalists that his family was "proud and equally grateful" that the Queen would attend her funeral service, whose presence he said his mother would be "greatly honoured as well as humbled by". He expressed gratitude for all the messages of support and condolences from far and wide.[47] Three days later on 13 April her daughter Carol thanked US president
Barack Obama and others for their tributes and all those who had sent messages of sympathy and support.[48]
Domestic
Political reaction
A Buckingham Palace spokesman reported the Queen's sadness on hearing the news of her death and that she would send a private message to the family.[49]
Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron cut short a visit to Spain and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast. He issued a statement lamenting Britain's loss of "a great prime minister, a great leader, a great Briton".[50][51] The
deputy prime minister and leader of the
Liberal Democrats,
Nick Clegg, eulogised Thatcher as having defined modern British politics and that, while she may have "divided opinion" during her time, there would be scant disagreement about "the strength of her personality and the radicalism of her politics".[49]
Leader of the Opposition and Labour Party leader
Ed Miliband said that she would be remembered for having "reshaped the politics of a whole generation [and moving] the centre ground of British politics" and for her stature in the world. He said that, although the Labour Party had disagreed with much of what she did, "we can disagree and also greatly respect her political achievements and her personal strength".[49]
John Major, her successor as prime minister, credited Thatcher's leadership with turning Britain around in large measure: "Her reforms of the economy, trades union law, and her recovery of the Falkland Islands elevated her above normal politics."[49] Former Labour prime ministers
Tony Blair and
Gordon Brown said that even those who disagreed with her would admire her strength of character, her convictions, her view of Britain's place in the world and her contribution to British national life.[52]
Scottish first minister and
SNP leader
Alex Salmond acknowledged that "Margaret Thatcher was a truly formidable prime minister whose policies defined a political generation".[53]Plaid Cymru leader
Leanne Wood, while expressing sympathy to her family, criticised her policies' effects on Wales.[54]
Former
Green Party leader
Caroline Lucas voiced regret that, although Thatcher was the first female prime minister, "she did little for women either inside or outside the House of Commons".[55]UKIP leader
Nigel Farage expressed his sympathy in a tweet, paying homage to "a great patriotic lady".[56]
Wider reaction
The
House of Commons was
recalled to hold a special session discussing Thatcher's legacy.[57] While current and former cabinet ministers struck a conciliatory tone in their speeches, some in the Labour Party attacked Thatcher's legacy.[26][58][59] Over half of all Labour MPs chose to boycott the tribute to Thatcher,[60] with many saying it would have been hypocritical for them to honour her as their constituents continued to suffer from some of the decisions she made.[61][55] Former MP
Tony Benn, former London mayor
Ken Livingstone and
Paul Kenny, general-secretary of the
GMB trade union, stated that her policies were divisive and her legacy involved "the destruction of communities, the elevation of personal greed over social values and legitimising the exploitation of the weak by the strong";[62] however, Benn did acknowledge some of her personal qualities.[63]
Many reactions were unsympathetic,[64] particularly from her former opponents.[65][66][67] Residents in
Orgreave, South Yorkshire, site of the
Battle of Orgreave between striking coal miners and police in June 1984, declared that their village had been "decimated by Thatcher".[68] The
Associated Press quoted a number of miners as responding to her death simply with "good riddance".[69]Chris Kitchen, general-secretary of the
National Union of Mineworkers, stated that miners would "not be shedding a tear for her".[70] A mock funeral was held in the
pit village of
Goldthorpe in South Yorkshire, in which an effigy of Thatcher was burned alongside the word "
scab" spelt out in flowers.[71]Anarcho-punk band
Chumbawamba issued an
EP titled In Memoriam: Margaret Thatcher, which had been available for pre-sale since 2005 and which they described as "a small and perfectly-formed segment of the celebrations".[72][73]
Spontaneous
street parties were held by some across Britain, comparable to the
enthusiasm shown for the assassination of sitting prime minister
Spencer Perceval in 1812;[74] celebrations of her death took place in Glasgow, Brixton, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds, Belfast, Cardiff and elsewhere;[75][76][77][78][79]Glasgow City Council advised citizens to stay away from street parties organised without their involvement or consent out of safety concerns.[80][81] A larger demonstration with around 3,000 protesters took place at
Trafalgar Square in London on 13 April.[82][83][84][85] Graffiti was posted calling for her to "rot in hell".[59][86][87] Socialist film director
Ken Loach suggested privatising her funeral and tendering it for the cheapest bid.[88] The Daily Telegraph website closed comments on all articles related to her death due to
spamming by
online trolls.[89]
As the funeral procession passed through Ludgate Circus in central London, hundreds of people turned their backs on Thatcher's coffin in protest, with protesters shouting "What a waste of money" and "
Tory scum",[33][90] along with people demonstrating against the cost of the funeral to taxpayers during
a time of austerity.[33][91]
Whether to fly the flag at half-mast for her funeral caused controversy for some councils where local feelings remained hostile. The government's national flag protocol dictates that union flags should be lowered to half-mast on the funeral days of all former prime ministers;[92] however, most Scottish councils did not lower the flag for the funeral.[93] Councils in England that refused to lower the flag included
Barnsley,
Sheffield and
Wakefield in Yorkshire,[94] as well as
Coventry in the
West Midlands.[95]
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".[104] The message from
Pope Francis "recalls with appreciation the Christian values which underpinned her commitment to public service and to the promotion of freedom among the family of nations".[105]
Irish president
Michael D. Higgins extended his condolences, saying: "She will be remembered as one of the most conviction-driven British prime ministers" 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".[106]Taoiseach (Irish prime minister)
Enda Kenny said he was "saddened" to learn of Thatcher's death,[107] while
Sinn Féin leader
Gerry Adams criticised "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".[65]
French president
François Hollande and German chancellor
Angela Merkel remarked that Thatcher left "a deep impression on her country's history".[108] Merkel went on to hail Thatcher's belief in the freedom of the individual as having contributed to "overcoming Europe's partition and the
end of the Cold War".[49]
Swedish prime minister
Fredrik Reinfeldt said she was "an ideologue among pragmatists".[109]
Spanish prime minister
Mariano Rajoy hailed her as a 20th-century landmark and said it was a sad day for Europe.[110]
Romanian president
Traian Băsescu and the premier and
foreign minister of Bulgaria,
Marin Raykov, cited her influence on them and sent their condolences. They recognised Thatcher as a central figure in modern European history, and that her application of the law and economically liberal principles contributed to the downfall of communism in the
Eastern Bloc.[111][112] Polish foreign minister
Radosław Sikorski said she was a "fearless champion of liberty".[113]
Canadian prime minister
Stephen Harper acknowledged Thatcher as having "define[d] the age in which she served [as well as] contemporary conservatism itself".[114]
US president Barack Obama lamented the loss of "a true friend". His statement praised her 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".[115]
Australian prime minister
Julia Gillard admired Thatcher's achievements as a woman.[116]
New Zealand prime minister
John Key praised Thatcher's determination and expressed his "[sadness] for her family and Great Britain".[117]
Israeli prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu lamented losing "a true friend of the Jewish people and Israel".[118]
Japanese prime minister
Shinzo Abe called her a great statesperson.[119]
Filipino president
Benigno Aquino III, through a statement, called her "a formidable world leader".[120]
At the wishes of Thatcher's family, Argentine president
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was not invited to the funeral. Argentine foreign minister
Héctor Timerman said that any invitation would have been "just another provocation".[121] The Argentine ambassador,
Alicia Castro, was invited in line with diplomatic protocol,[39] but declined the invitation.[122]
Indian prime minister
Manmohan Singh, Pakistani president
Asif Ali Zardari,[123] and South African president
Jacob Zuma expressed condolences,[124][125] as did Russian president
Vladimir Putin, who said that Thatcher was "a pragmatic, tough and consistent person".[126] Former Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev expressed sadness at the loss of a "great" politician "whose words carried great weight".[12]
Social media played a significant role in the aftermath of her death, with celebrities channelling polarised views about Thatcher on Twitter,[127] and endorsing campaigns and demonstrations.[128] Anti-Thatcher sentiment prompted a campaign on social media networks to bring the song "
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz into the
UK Singles Chart,[129] followed by a counter-campaign adopted by Thatcher supporters in favour of the 1979
tongue-in-cheekpunk song "
I'm in Love with Margaret Thatcher" by the
Notsensibles, which had been started by the band's lead singer.[130][131] On 12 April 2013, "Ding-Dong!" charted at number 2 across the UK (it made number 1 in Scotland),[132] and "I'm in Love with Margaret Thatcher" at number 35.[133][134]BBC Radio 1 controller
Ben Cooper said that the station's
chart show would not play the No. 2 song but that a portion of it would be aired as part of a news item.[135][136] Cooper explained that its delicate compromise balanced freedom of speech and sensitivity for a family grieving for a loved one yet to be buried.[133]
^"Frail and lonely, Thatcher's last days at The Ritz". The Luxembourg Times. Agence France-Presse. 11 April 2013.
Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018. Thatcher died at 11:28 am Monday after suffering a stroke while reading in her suite.
^"Lady Thatcher's funeral". Gov.uk. 10 Downing Street: Prime Minister's Office. 8 April 2013.
Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (
link)
^Burns, John F. (16 April 2013).
"As Thatcher Goes to Rest, Miners Feel No Less Bitter". The New York Times.
Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017. The anger of those who were losers in the Thatcher revolution has found voice in leftist and anarchist groups, including one calling itself Good Riddance Maggie Thatcher.
^"Death of Margaret Thatcher" (Press release). United States Department of State. 8 April 2013.
Archived from the original on 27 January 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
^"Décès de Margaret Thatcher". elysee.fr (Press release) (in French). Government of France. 8 April 2013.
Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.