Thatcher’s family stays away from premiere

Actress Meryl Streep arrived at the premiere of her new Margaret Thatcher biopic in London last night as it emerged the former Prime Minister’s family had declined to attend a public screening.

The Iron Lady has attracted controversy for the way it depicts Baroness Thatcher’s battle with dementia, and director Phyllida Lloyd revealed yesterday that the former Prime Minister’s family declined her invitation to attend.

Lloyd said she can “quite understand them not wanting to see it in the public gaze”, and she is confident Streep “took care” of the ex-premier’s “dignity”.

“We did make contact with the family some time ago to tell them what we were trying to do, but they perhaps quite understandably have sort of stepped back from the whole thing,” Lloyd said.

Related topics: