London bids farewell to 'Iron Lady'

Londoners joined Queen Elizabeth II and visiting world leaders on Wednesday in what is Britain's biggest political funeral in almost half a century to bid farewell to former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

The funeral Thatcher, the first female British prime minister, started 11 a.m. Wednesday at the St. Paul's Cathedral.

The funeral was attended by the Queen, two heads of state and 11 serving prime ministers, among more than 2,000 people from 200 countries in the cathedral.

These included former British prime ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and John Major, as well as former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

After readings by Thatcher's granddaughter and British Prime Minister David Cameron, the Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Richard Chartres, addressed to the audiences.

In her later life, the loss of Denis, her husband, was a grievous blow in deed, he said. "And then there was a struggle with increasing debility from which she has now been liberated," he added.

The service in St. Paul followed a procession, when the coffin, covered by a union   flag, was taken by a gun carriage from the church of St. Clement Danes, the Central Church of the Royal Air Force.

The bearers were personnel from units and regiments involved in the Malvinas (Falklands) campaign, which was always recognized one of the highlights in Thatcher's tenure.

About 4,000 police forces lined along the route to ensure security. Before the funeral shops by the road of procession had been told to remove stuff that could be used as weapons, such as trash bins and ladders.

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.

Cameron said that he "learnt a huge amount from watching" Thatcher at work, and today he felt "great pride in all that she achieved, tinged with sadness".

The roads were flanked by people who waited to bid farewell to Thatcher. BBC estimated that the number of onlookers near St. Paul could top 4,000. Some of them held placards saying "thank you Maggie for all you did".

Ruth James told Xinhua that she "thought Margaret Thatcher was a wonderful woman". "I just think she put the Great Britain back to the track when this country is in its needs," she said.

However, not all of the spectators were mournful. Phil Williams, a former union   member from Shotton in north Wales, holds up a large banner that read: "Rest in shame," while 61-year-old Henry Page from Brighton complained the cost of the 10-million-pound (about 15.2 million U.S. dollars) funeral.

Dubbed the "Iron Lady", Thatcher was more controversial than admired as the longest-serving prime minister in Britain during the last century, being in office for 11 years. She died on April 8 from stroke, at the age of 87.

Her body will be taken for cremation later Wednesday.

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