— Margaret Thatcher, 1925-2013
— Stroke kills former Prime Minister at age of 87
— She died at 11.28am as she read
— Funeral next week to be like Princess Diana's
'Greatest' ... Mrs Thatcher in 1986
UPPA
Last Updated: 09th April 2013
BRITAIN’S Iron Lady Baroness Thatcher died yesterday — in bed at London’s five-star Ritz hotel.
The ex-Prime Minister, 87, suffered a stroke at 11.28am while reading in a suite where pals had put her up since Christmas.One close friend calling it “a good way to go”.
Her 59-year-old twin children Mark and Carol were abroad.
Tributes poured in for the politician, dubbed our greatest peacetime PM. She will have a Princess Di-style funeral in St Paul’s Cathedral next week.
The nation’s first and only female Prime Minister died at the London hotel, where carers had been looking after her around the clock after years of deteriorating health.
Lady Thatcher had endured a series of mini-strokes and last December underwent surgery to remove a growth from her bladder.
Birthday ... Lady Thatcher on her 87th birthday last year
London News Pictures
She was the longest-serving PM of the 20th Century — and the fifth longest in history, holding office for 11½ years from 1979 until 1990, when she left Number Ten in tears.
A ceremonial funeral will be held for her in St Paul’s Cathedral with full military honours on Wednesday or Thursday next week.
Sombre ... van carrying Lady Thatcher's body leaves The Ritz this morning
JEFF MOORE
Current Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron led national mourning yesterday — declaring: “Lady Thatcher didn’t just lead our country, she saved our country.”
Grand ... a suite at the Ritz, where Lady Thatcher was found dead
Wearing a black tie in Downing Street last night, he went on to herald the Iron Lady’s rise from humble roots as an inspiration to all.
Mr Cameron said: “The odds were stacked against her — the shopkeeper’s daughter from Grantham who made it all the way to the highest office in the land.
Tearful exit ... Lady Thatcher and Denis leave No10 in 1990
Ken Lennox
“She took a country that was on its knees and made Britain stand tall again. We can’t deny that Lady Thatcher divided opinion.
“For many of us, she was and is an inspiration. For others, she was a force to be defined against.”
Grief ... the Thatchers at Denis's funeral
UPPA
Buckingham Palace said the Queen was “sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher” and was sending a private message of sympathy to her family.
US President Barack Obama led worldwide tributes, saying: “The world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend.”
Floral tributes ... flowers outside Lady Thatcher's home yesterday
A single daffodil was placed at the feet of a statue of Lady Thatcher statue just outside the entrance to the Commons chamber.
And a steady stream of mourners placed flowers and books outside her home in London’s Belgravia.
Dozens of devastated well-wishers gathered outside The Ritz last night to hold an emotional vigil.
Respect ... flags at Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament at half-mast
National Pictures/
Antiques dealer Mark Law, 47, said: “It’s incredibly sad. I was at school when she first became PM and people younger than me don’t remember how bad the country was.
"She was an inspirational figure — her legacy will go on.”
Former Prime Minister ... Baroness Margaret Thatcher
They persuaded the frail politician to move out of her London home and into The Ritz, where a five-star suite costs from £810 per night.
In a rare move normally reserved for national emergency, both Houses of Parliament are being recalled from their Easter break for one day on Wednesday so MPs can pay tributes to Lady Thatcher, who also leaves two grandchildren.
Tributes ... David Cameron described her as 'a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton'
Aides interrupted Mr Cameron’s meeting with Spanish leader Mariano Rajoy in Madrid at noon yesterday to tell him of her death.
He scrapped a joint press conference — as well as dinner with French President François Hollande in Paris — to fly straight home to take charge of co-ordinating tributes and funeral arrangements.
Leader ... she served as Prime Minister for 11 years till 1990
As a mark of respect, Labour’s leader Ed Miliband suspended the party’s local election campaign just two hours after launching it.
He also won praise by refusing to deliver any political criticism, saying: “It’s time to remember what she actually achieved as a person. Now is the time to show respect.”
Child ... Thatcher, who grew up in Grantham, Lincs., as a young girl
Getty
But in death as in life, the former Prime Minister’s passing sparked strong emotions from across the political divide.
And having smashed the unions, privatised state industries and won the Falklands War, a furious debate about her extraordinary legacy was also renewed afresh.
Security ... a police car parked outside The Ritz
Dozens of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square to mark the occasion with champagne. One woman wore a T-shirt with the slogan “The Witch Is Dead” scrawled in marker pen on the back.
More than 100 people gathered in Brixton, South London — scene of fierce riots two years after the Baroness became PM. Some carried banners, with one saying: “Rejoice, Thatcher is dead.”
Recuperation ... Baroness Thatcher is believed to have been staying at the Ritz since Christmas
They also opened champagne and cheered, shouting: “Maggie, Maggie, Maggie — dead, dead, dead.”
In Glasgow, 400 people hugged and danced to music during a sick party in the city’s George Square.
Critic ... Arthur Scargill, president of the National Union of Mineworkers
Rita Connelly, 61, said: “I am down to mark the death of Margaret Thatcher. She ruined communities and will not be forgiven.”
Admirers ... a family's card describe her as 'a true lady'
Heather MacKintosh, 48, said: “I’m sorry for her family but given the legacy she left in Scotland I knew I had to come down.”
But one middle-aged woman who was trying to get through the busy square insisted: “This is not a day for celebrating — a woman has died. It’s disgusting.”
Mourner ... a bunch of flowers is laid outside the home of Lady Thatcher in Belgravia, London
Strathclyde Police last night said they were monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile anarchists are planning a weekend party in Trafalgar Square to celebrate Lady Thatcher’s death.
Activists from the Class War group are calling for supporters to gather in central London on Saturday evening.
First and only female Prime Minister ... Lady Thatcher was a pioneer
There are fears the event could descend into violence as the venue was the scene of anti-poll tax riots in 1990.
Anarchist author Ian Bone, 65 — who founded Class War in 1983 — also raised fears the funeral could be disrupted.
Campaign ... Margaret Thatcher with 16-year-old schoolboy William Hague in Blackpool, 1977
He said: “We expect thousands to turn out and thousands more at the funeral.”
On his blog Bone urged supporters to “rejoice” and promised the party would be the “best night out since the poll tax riot”.
10 reasons to remember Thatcher
Triumph ... new Prime Minister and husband Denis arrive at Downing Street in 1979
CAMERA PRESS/Graham Wiltshire
1. She was Britain’s first and only female Prime Minister. Serving from 1979-1990 she was the longest serving British PM, winning three general elections.
2. Restored national pride by leading Britain to victory in the 1982 Falklands war following the islands' shock invasion by Argentina’s right-wing military junta.
3. Dubbed the Iron Lady by a Russian journalist in 1976 for her opposition to Soviet communism. The nickname stuck and was the title of the 2011 biopic for which Meryl Streep won an Oscar.
4. Smashed the power of the trade unions by facing down the 1984 national miners’ strike led by Arthur Scargill. But she was blamed for causing mass unemployment and the decline of manufacturing in the North.
5. Formed a close relationship with US President Ronald Reagan which proved instrumental in winning the Cold War with the 1989 collapse of Communism.
6. Transformed Britain's economy, introducing sweeping privatisation of Britain’s ailing steel, telecom and utilities industries.
7. Gave five million council house tenants the right to buy their own homes with the 1980 Housing Act.
8. Survived a deadly IRA assasination attempt when a bomb ripped through her hotel at the Tories’ 1984 Brighton party conference.
9. Loved and loathed for her memorable one-liners, including: “The lady’s not for turning”, “There is no such thing as society” and “We are a grandmother”.
10. Lampooned by pioneering puppet show Spitting Image, alternative comedy The Young Ones, scouser Alexei Sayle and right-on comic Ben Elton.
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