Advertisement

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's funeral next week

WASHINGTON: President Reagan introduces Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain to a gathering in the Rose Garden 9/29/1983 (UPI Photo/Rich Lipsk)
WASHINGTON: President Reagan introduces Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain to a gathering in the Rose Garden 9/29/1983 (UPI Photo/Rich Lipsk) | License Photo

LONDON, April 9 (UPI) -- The funeral for former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died Monday following a stroke, will be next week, government officials announced.

Prime Minister David Cameron's office said the funeral on April 17, with full military honors, will be at St. Paul's Cathedral in London after a procession from Westminster, the BBC reported Tuesday.

Advertisement

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, will attend the service, Buckingham Palace said.

Thatcher's funeral won't be a state funeral but will given the same status as Princess Diana and the Queen Mother, the BBC said.

A spokesman for Cameron said details were reached during a "coordination meeting" between the Thatcher family and Buckingham Palace Tuesday.

Thatcher, a Conservative, was the Britain's first female prime minister, serving from 1979 to 1990 and won three straight elections.

She died after suffering a stroke while at the Ritz Hotel in London, where she had been staying since being released from hospital at the end of last year.

Advertisement

The BBC said Parliament will be recalled from its Easter recess Wednesday so members and peers could pay tributes to the woman Cameron called a "great Briton."

Demonstrations were reported Monday throughout Britain, notably in Glasgow, Bristol and London, with some participants saying they were celebrating Thatcher's death, the BBC said.

Seven police officers were injured in Bristol, where violence erupted and several trash fires were set, officials said. One person was arrested.

The Metropolitan Police reported disturbances in Brixton, including items being thrown at police. Two women found inside a store were arrested on suspicion of burglary charges.

Latest Headlines