Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated, 12:50
MARGARET THATCHER is to be given a ceremonial funeral with full military honours.
The United Kingdom’s first female prime minister, who died yesterday aged 87, will be given a funeral equivalent to those given to Princess Diana in 1997 and the Queen Mother in 2002.
The funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral in London will be preceded by a funeral procession from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Houses of Parliament.
The ceremonial funeral has been approved by the Queen, whose consent is required for a ceremonial funeral with military honours. The Queen and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will be in attendance.
The ceremony will take place next Wednesday, April 17, and will be televised but not opened to the public.
Following Thatcher’s own wishes, her body will not lie in state. She had also been opposed to a state funeral, though it is not clear whether Thatcher would have been afforded one anyway.
The last state funeral held in Britain was that of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, when the wartime leader lay in state. Thatcher believed herself to be inferior to Churchill and did not want to be equated with him in deaths.
The Guardian this afternoon reports that Thatcher feared a ‘divisive debate’ in Parliament about whether to offer her a state funeral – a fear which encouraged her to veto the prospect of one being sought.
It is also thought that Thatcher stated her preference for there not to be an RAF fly-past, allegedly because she did not want taxpayers’ money to be spent on it.
Thatcher’s remains will be cremated in a private ceremony after her funeral.
The question of a state funeral has divided Britain, with some – including the Daily Mail newspaper – organising petitions and campaigns for a full state funeral, while on Twitter the hashtag ‘#nostatefuneral’ trended quickly after news of her death was revealed.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Shatter to release murderers, pedophiles and rapists to make more room for people who do not buy a tv license or repay small debts to banks. This country gets worse
Possibly freeing up space for fraudsters, maverick bankers, loansharks and other white collar reprobates? It isn’t always small fine defaulters …
No good news on a Monday?
Those rioters in London are upset that Gay Byrne is running for ~Aras11
Why can I not look at the article about Ireland being insolvent? The journal.ie logs off everytime I try but all other articles are fine??
Hi James, is that the Morgan Kelly piece? http://jrnl.ie/195495 It looks fine here, are you accessing by computer or phone?
Me too, using the iPhone app, swiping through the articles as soon as I turn to Morgan Kellys’ article the app closes. Likewise, trying to open the article from the menu crashes the app. It opens fine in Safari on the phone.
Thanks for your comment, we’ll check that out at this side.
Same on my wife’s iPhone and my iPad. App crashes. Was able to read it in a browser ok
yes same here, when on i pad, it disappears
Wood?
Same as would except woodier
Manners please boys…
i suggest Mary Byrne to be come the first lady’ She wood at least no how hard it is for the ordinery people are feeling. i wood not think Mary lost lots of money in shares like others now we are to help get out of it again
have your say