Over 2,000 people attended the funeral.u00a0Though a protest was staged along the route of the funeral procession, the crowd included thousands of well-wishers. About 4,000 police personnel were lined up along the route to ensure security. Flags on government buildings were lowered to half-mast, and the Big Ben on the Parliament Tower was set to be silenced for the funeral.

Before the funeral, Prime Minister David Cameron said he “learnt a huge amount from watching” Thatcher at work, and today he felt “a great pride in all that she achieved, tinged with sadness”. Thatcher was the longest-serving prime minister of Britain during the last century, being in office for 11 years from 1979 to 1990. Thatcher kept away from public appearances due to poor health. Her husband Denis died in 2003. Her children Mark and Carol both live abroad. u00a0