David Cameron said she had been a "great Briton" while US President Barack Obama called her a "great champion of freedom and liberty". 

 

The funeral of the former prime minister is expected to be held next week.

 

The ceremony, with full military honours, will take place at London's St Paul's Cathedral.

 

Lady Thatcher, Britain's first female premier³, was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and won three successive general elections. 

 

She died "peacefully" after suffering a stroke while staying at the Ritz hotel in central London. Lady Thatcher had been staying at the hotel since being discharged from hospital at the end of last year.

 

An undertaker's van carrying a silver casket（棺材） left the hotel just after midnight for an undisclosed location.

 

She will not have a state funeral but will be accorded the same status as Princess Diana and the Queen Mother. A ceremonial funeral is one rung down from a state funeral - normally reserved for monarchs⁴ - and requires the consent of the Queen.

 

The union jack⁵ above Number 10 Downing Street has been lowered to half-mast while Parliament will be recalled from its Easter recess⁶ on Wednesday to enable MPs to pay tributes.

 

 

After cutting short a trip to Europe to return to London, Mr Cameron described Lady Thatcher as "the patriot⁷ prime minister" and the country's "greatest peacetime" leader. 

 

While acknowledging that she had "divided opinion", Mr Cameron said she had "taken a country that was on its knees and made it stand tall again.

 

"Margaret Thatcher loved this country and served it with all she had," he said. "For that she has her well-earned place in history - and the enduring respect and gratitude⁸ of the British people."

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