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| Thatcher’s Funeral is Held at St. Paul’s Cathedral | Thatcher’s Funeral is Held at St. Paul’s Cathedral |
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| LONDON — A horse-drawn gun carriage bore the coffin of Margaret Thatcher to St. Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday for a ceremonial funeral that divided British opinion, much as the former prime minister known as the Iron Lady stirred deep and conflicting emotions during her lifetime and, in death, triggered an equally passionate debate over her legacy. | LONDON — A horse-drawn gun carriage bore the coffin of Margaret Thatcher to St. Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday for a ceremonial funeral that divided British opinion, much as the former prime minister known as the Iron Lady stirred deep and conflicting emotions during her lifetime and, in death, triggered an equally passionate debate over her legacy. |
| With hymns and prayers and Biblical readings, dignitaries from around the world and from Britain’s political elite gathered in the cathedral for a service regarded as austere and devout reflecting her Methodist upbringing as bells pealed over the city and a gun salute boomed from the Tower of London. | With hymns and prayers and Biblical readings, dignitaries from around the world and from Britain’s political elite gathered in the cathedral for a service regarded as austere and devout reflecting her Methodist upbringing as bells pealed over the city and a gun salute boomed from the Tower of London. |
| Some 700 military personnel from three services — the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force — lined the streets, including guards in scarlet tunics and distinctive black bearskin hats on the 24 cathedral steps as the gun carriage processed along Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill from the church of St. Clement Danes in a closely scripted display of ceremonial precision honed over centuries. | Some 700 military personnel from three services — the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force — lined the streets, including guards in scarlet tunics and distinctive black bearskin hats on the 24 cathedral steps as the gun carriage processed along Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill from the church of St. Clement Danes in a closely scripted display of ceremonial precision honed over centuries. |
| Military bands played. Bells tolled. Thousands of people several deep lined the streets behind barriers as the gun carriage passed by at a measured 70 paces per minute. Some onlookers applauded, drowning out scattered boos; some cheered and recorded the moment on cellphones and cameras. Under gray and drizzly skies that gave way to watery sunshine, well-wishers threw single flowers into the road, while a handful of protesters turned their backs on the procession. | |
| The coffin was draped in the Union flag, crowned by a wreath of white flowers with a handwritten note: “Beloved mother — always in our hearts.” | |
| Mrs. Thatcher was the country’s first female prime minister whose radical, market-driven policies and determination to crush labor union power made her one of its most divisive leaders. She died of a stroke last week at age 87. | |
| There were moments in the funeral service that recalled her reputation for unwavering faith in her convictions. A Biblical passage read by her 19-year-old grand-daughter, Amanda Thatcher, proclaimed: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” | |
| The nature of Wednesday’s 55-minute ceremony — a state funeral in all but name — provoked complaints about its cost and appropriateness. The last British politician to be accorded such a parting accolade was Winston Churchill in 1965, whose funeral also took place at St. Paul’s. But the authorities sought to avoid a politicized service. | |
| “After the storm of a life led in the heat of political controversy, there is a great calm,” the bishop of London, the Right Rev. Richard Chartres said in an address. “The storm of conflicting opinions centers on the Mrs. Thatcher who became a symbolic figure — even an ism.” | |
| But, he continued, “there is an important place for debating policies and legacy; for assessing the impact of political decisions on the everyday lives of individuals and communities. Parliament held a frank debate last week — but here and today is neither the time nor the place.” | But, he continued, “there is an important place for debating policies and legacy; for assessing the impact of political decisions on the everyday lives of individuals and communities. Parliament held a frank debate last week — but here and today is neither the time nor the place.” |
| “This, at Lady Thatcher’s personal request, is a funeral service, not a memorial service with the customary eulogies. At such a time, the parson should not aspire to the judgments which are proper to the politician; instead this is a place for ordinary human compassion of the kind that is reconciling.” | “This, at Lady Thatcher’s personal request, is a funeral service, not a memorial service with the customary eulogies. At such a time, the parson should not aspire to the judgments which are proper to the politician; instead this is a place for ordinary human compassion of the kind that is reconciling.” |
| As the coffin moved through the cathedral nave, a choir sang and organ music played. One of the refrains said: “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away.” | As the coffin moved through the cathedral nave, a choir sang and organ music played. One of the refrains said: “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away.” |
| The Order of Service handed to congregants began with a quotation from T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets,” and ended with a passage from Wordsworth’s “Intimations of Immortality,” which includes the line: “The things which I have seen I now can see no more.” | |
| After the service, a hearse transported Mrs. Thatcher’s coffin to a hospital in Chelsea before a private cremation later. | |
| There was no immediate sign of large-scale protests by anti-Thatcher demonstrators but the police kept watch on anyone who might seem suspicious. “I think they stopped me because I had a rolled-up newspaper under my arm which I think they thought might be a weapon,” said Ben Black, 31, who said he had traveled from Brighton to pay his respects and added that he did not blame the police for taking precautions. | There was no immediate sign of large-scale protests by anti-Thatcher demonstrators but the police kept watch on anyone who might seem suspicious. “I think they stopped me because I had a rolled-up newspaper under my arm which I think they thought might be a weapon,” said Ben Black, 31, who said he had traveled from Brighton to pay his respects and added that he did not blame the police for taking precautions. |
| At Ludgate Circus, close to St. Paul’s, a small group of protesters gathered, some with banners reading: “Now bury Thatcherism.” Some jeered and shouted, “good riddance.” | |
| Natasha Munoz, a writer from London, said: “I am protesting against the legacy of a woman who as far as I am concerned destroyed this country. She destroyed our communities and our industrial base, she created a culture of the individual and of greed that disgusts me.” She called the funeral “propaganda for her party.” | Natasha Munoz, a writer from London, said: “I am protesting against the legacy of a woman who as far as I am concerned destroyed this country. She destroyed our communities and our industrial base, she created a culture of the individual and of greed that disgusts me.” She called the funeral “propaganda for her party.” |
| Mrs. Thatcher’s coffin lay overnight in the historic chapel of St. Mary Undercroft in Parliament where the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell was said to have stabled his horses in the 17th century. | Mrs. Thatcher’s coffin lay overnight in the historic chapel of St. Mary Undercroft in Parliament where the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell was said to have stabled his horses in the 17th century. |
| Some 4,000 police officers were on duty, along with an honor guard of 700 military personnel. The organizers code-named their preparations True Blue, the traditional color associated with Mrs. Thatcher’s Conservative party. | Some 4,000 police officers were on duty, along with an honor guard of 700 military personnel. The organizers code-named their preparations True Blue, the traditional color associated with Mrs. Thatcher’s Conservative party. |
| Officials were already concerned about the possibility of disruption by political foes of Mrs. Thatcher, the longest-serving British prime minister for 150 years. But after Monday’s bombing of the Boston Marathon, police have indicated that security will be tighter, particularly in light of the array of dignitaries from around the world among the 2,300 guests in St. Paul’s. | Officials were already concerned about the possibility of disruption by political foes of Mrs. Thatcher, the longest-serving British prime minister for 150 years. But after Monday’s bombing of the Boston Marathon, police have indicated that security will be tighter, particularly in light of the array of dignitaries from around the world among the 2,300 guests in St. Paul’s. |
| As the funeral cortege approached St. Paul’s, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrived to attend the ceremony along with hundreds of foreign dignitaries, including former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. The official American delegation named by the White House is led by two more former secretaries of state, George P. Shultz and James A. Baker 3d. But some British Conservatives have complained that President Obama did not send a senior serving member of his administration. | As the funeral cortege approached St. Paul’s, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrived to attend the ceremony along with hundreds of foreign dignitaries, including former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. The official American delegation named by the White House is led by two more former secretaries of state, George P. Shultz and James A. Baker 3d. But some British Conservatives have complained that President Obama did not send a senior serving member of his administration. |
| The guests also included F. W. de Klerk, the last white president of South Africa, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Figures from the opposition Labour Party included former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Ed Miliband, the current party leader. | The guests also included F. W. de Klerk, the last white president of South Africa, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Figures from the opposition Labour Party included former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Ed Miliband, the current party leader. |
| St. Paul’s is one of London’s great cathedrals associated often with state and royal events, such as the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana there in 1981. | St. Paul’s is one of London’s great cathedrals associated often with state and royal events, such as the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana there in 1981. |
| As a mark of respect, lawmakers ordered the chimes of Big Ben to be silenced during the funeral, while artillery rounds boom from the Tower of London. Flags flew at half-staff across the city. | As a mark of respect, lawmakers ordered the chimes of Big Ben to be silenced during the funeral, while artillery rounds boom from the Tower of London. Flags flew at half-staff across the city. |
| Mrs. Thatcher had personally chosen the hymns for the service. One of them — “I Vow to Thee, My Country,” with stirring, Victorian lyrics — is regarded as an anthem of the fierce patriotism ascribed to Mrs. Thatcher throughout her tenure from 1979 to 1990 and particularly when she ordered warships 8,000 miles across the Atlantic to dislodge Argentine troops from the Falkland Islands. | Mrs. Thatcher had personally chosen the hymns for the service. One of them — “I Vow to Thee, My Country,” with stirring, Victorian lyrics — is regarded as an anthem of the fierce patriotism ascribed to Mrs. Thatcher throughout her tenure from 1979 to 1990 and particularly when she ordered warships 8,000 miles across the Atlantic to dislodge Argentine troops from the Falkland Islands. |
| That war, which claimed hundreds of lives, rankles still with Argentina, which claims the islands and whose ambassador, British news reports said, declined an invitation to attend Wednesday’s ceremony. | That war, which claimed hundreds of lives, rankles still with Argentina, which claims the islands and whose ambassador, British news reports said, declined an invitation to attend Wednesday’s ceremony. |
| While some Britons have protested about the fanfare surrounding the funeral of Mrs. Thatcher — whose death certificate listed her occupation as “retired stateswoman” — Prime Minister David Cameron said in a BBC interview before attending the service that it would be “quite a somber event but it is a fitting tribute to a great prime minister, respected around the world.” | While some Britons have protested about the fanfare surrounding the funeral of Mrs. Thatcher — whose death certificate listed her occupation as “retired stateswoman” — Prime Minister David Cameron said in a BBC interview before attending the service that it would be “quite a somber event but it is a fitting tribute to a great prime minister, respected around the world.” |
| “I think other countries in the world would think Britain had got it completely wrong if we didn’t mark this in a proper way,” he said. | “I think other countries in the world would think Britain had got it completely wrong if we didn’t mark this in a proper way,” he said. |
| Critics have claimed that the authorities have sought to cloak the cost of the ceremony by not accounting for the deployment of the police and the military. One protester, standing in a persistent drizzle along with around 1,000 spectators outside St. Paul’s on Wednesday, held up a placard complaining that the funeral would cost the equivalent of $15 million at a time when many Britons are facing hard times under the government’s austerity program. | Critics have claimed that the authorities have sought to cloak the cost of the ceremony by not accounting for the deployment of the police and the military. One protester, standing in a persistent drizzle along with around 1,000 spectators outside St. Paul’s on Wednesday, held up a placard complaining that the funeral would cost the equivalent of $15 million at a time when many Britons are facing hard times under the government’s austerity program. |
| In his BBC interview, Mr. Cameron was asked whether he accepted that Mrs. Thatcher had been a divisive figure and replied by saying that she created a new consensus. “In a way, we are all Thatcherites now,” he said. | In his BBC interview, Mr. Cameron was asked whether he accepted that Mrs. Thatcher had been a divisive figure and replied by saying that she created a new consensus. “In a way, we are all Thatcherites now,” he said. |
Stephen Castle contributed reporting. | Stephen Castle contributed reporting. |