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Famous faces lost: Margaret Thatcher

One of Britain's greatest and most controversial prime ministers, Margaret Thatcher, died at the age of 87.

The former political leader had suffered from a number of serious health ailments in the past 10 years, including several small strokes and dementia later on.

She died at the Ritz Hotel in London after suffering a stroke on April 8, 2013.

Plans for the funeral had begun in secret all the way back in 2009. According to Thatcher's wishes, she would not be given a state funeral as she felt that the cost would be too high, and she didn't want to be considered in the same light as Sir Winston Churchill.

However the funeral was still a large affair. Held at the St. Paul's Cathedral in London, more than 4000 police officers were brought in as security as Thatcher's body made its way to the service.

This was in part because of the controversial nature of Thatcher's reign from 1979 to 1990, but also in the wake of the Boston bombings.

A portrait of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is left next to floral tributes outside her residence in Chester Square.
A portrait of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is left next to floral tributes outside her residence in Chester Square.

All up, the funeral cost close to $6.3 million, with the majority of the funds spent on security costs. The Thatcher family offered to pay part of the actual funeral expenses.

Among the mourners, estimated to number 2700, were conservative prime minister David Cameron as well as Queen Elizabeth and her husband The Duke of Edinburgh. This was only the second time the Queen had attended the funeral of a former prime minister.

The other was the funeral of Churchill in 1965.

Thatcher was cremated, according to her wishes, and her ashes were spread in a private ceremony at the All Saints Chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea's Margaret Thatcher Infirmary next to those of her husband.

Tributes flowed in from home and abroad.

British prime minister Cameron said: "Today is a truly sad day for our country. We've lost a great Prime Minister, a great leader, a great Briton. As our first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds, and the real thing about Margaret Thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country, she saved our country. I believe she'll go down as the greatest British peacetime Prime Minister."

Julia Gillard, then prime minister and also one to share a bond with Thatcher as her country's first female leader, said: "As a woman I am admiring of her achievements on becoming the first woman to lead the United Kingdom, the first female prime minister there. For women around the world they will be reflecting on the loss of a woman who showed a new way forward for women, and a way into leadership."

While many mourned her death, large numbers of English people celebrated. In a special session to talk about Thatcher's legacy, a number of Labour politicians refused to speak because to praise her would have been hypocritical while the constituents they served were affected by her policies.