Margaret Thatcher’s Funeral: Who Will Be Attending

[Time]

More than 2,000 people, including all surviving U.S. Presidents as well as representatives of foreign states and figures from the world of entertainment, will fill St. Paul's cathedral next Wednesday for the funeral of Margaret Thatcher. Releasing the guest list for the service, a spokesperson from Number 10 Downing St, the Prime Minister's office said in a statement: Those invited include family and friends of Lady Thatcher, those who worked with her over the years, including all surviving members of her cabinets, former chiefs of staff, Conservative associates, peers and MPs, members of the cabinet, peers and MPs, members of the Order of the Garter, members of the Order of Merit, foreign associates and dignitaries and representatives from the wide range of groups she was associated with. The spokesperson added that some 200 states, territories and international organizations—"those countries and institutions with whom we have normal diplomatic relations"—would be invited to send a representative to the service. The Queen, who last attended the funeral of a British politician in 1965, after the death of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, is already confirmed to be attending along with the Duke of Edinburgh. (MORE:  Praise for the Baroness: Political tributes for Thatcher) All members of the current Cabinet have been invited, as well as all surviving members of Lady Thatcher's Cabinets — including Michael Heseltine, Thatcher's cabinet rival who, by challenging her for the Conservative party leadership in 1990, ousted her from power. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has already said he will attend. And, despite Thatcher's vigorous opposition to the European Union, E.U. President Manuel Barroso will also been invited. One notable absence will be Neil Kinnock—leader of the opposition for much of Thatcher's time in office, and a bitter political rival—who has said he will not attend the service because he is already due to go to a friend's funeral in Wales on that day. Other Thatcher contemporaries from her time in office will also be absent. A spokeswoman for Nancy Reagan—who is said to be "heartbroken" at the news of Lady Thatcher's death—said

Via: TIME GlobalSpin