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.
Margaret Thatcher's coffin being carried up the steps of St Paul's Cathedral
Floral tributes outside Thatcher's birthplace in Grantham, Lincolnshire
Security checks prior to the service in the early hours of 17 April 2013
Thatcher's Union Flag-draped coffin being carried by a gun carriage
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the position. As prime minister, she implemented economic policies known as Thatcherism. A Soviet journalist dubbed her the "Iron Lady", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style.
Studio portrait, c. 1995–96
Thatcher in late 1975
10 Downing Street, c. 1979
2009 photograph of her father's former shop