Hundreds of thousands pack streets to bid farewell to Baroness Thatcher in day of pomp

Baroness Thatcher was borne through the streets of London with pomp, reverence and solemnity to the applause of hundreds of thousands of people who turned out to pay their respects.

There had been fears that crowds would come to jeer; instead, they threw flowers as she was taken, with full military honours, to her rest.

And then, world leaders, political allies and foes alike gathered in St Paul’s Cathedral for a funeral service of touching simplicity in accord with her own wishes. She had chosen the hymns and the readings; this was not to be a political event, but an expression of faith.

Her beloved armed forces carried her into St Paul’s where the mourners were led by the Queen and Baroness Thatcher’s own children. When it was over, her family stood silently on the cathedral steps and watched as their mother embarked on her final journey, to a private cremation, at last taking her leave of the spotlight after a lifetime in its glare.