The Queen has led mourners in St Paul’s Cathedral at the funeral of Baroness Thatcher, Britain’s longest serving prime minister of modern times.
More than 2,000 dignitaries from around the world paid their last respects at the biggest such occasion since the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002.
Lady Thatcher’s coffin was carried through streets lined by mourners and members of the three armed forces.
PM David Cameron said it was a “fitting tribute” to a major figure.
Four thousand police officers are on duty in central London, which saw large crowds along the route of her funeral procession, which was conducted with full military honours. There were reports of some protests but not the large demonstrations some had predicted.
The congregation at St Paul’s included Lady Thatcher’s family and all surviving British prime ministers, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Sir John Major, the current cabinet and surviving members of Lady Thatcher’s governments.
There were tears, and occasional laughter, as the Bishop of London, The Right Reverend Richard Chartres paid tribute to her forthright character in a simple service, which, at Lady Thatcher’s personal request, did not include any eulogies.
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