Preparations under way in London for Thatcher funeral

Preparations under way in London for Thatcher funeral
Preparations are under way in London for the funeral on Wednesday of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, an event that will involve the largest security operation the city has seen since the 2012 Summer Olympics.


Preparations are under way in London for the funeral on Wednesday of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, an event that will involve the largest security operation the city has seen since the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Metal security railings are being installed along the funeral route as part of Operation True Blue, which was already in the planning stages years before Thatcher's death and will involve 700 members of the armed forces as well as an SAS contingent.
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The processional route for Thatcher's funeral.
(Courtesy AFP)
Service members will line the route as Thatcher's coffin is taken through the streets from Westminster through Whitehall, The Strand, Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill on its way to St Paul's Cathedral.
The Special Boat Service of the SAS will be stationed on the River Thames.
The ceremonial funeral falls short of being a full state funeral, which is normally reserved for the sovereign as head of state. The £8 million (€9.4 million) event will be attended by 2,000 world figures, including Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister David Cameron, Canadian premier Stephen Harper and former Australian PM John Howard.
All surviving US presidents have been invited, as has former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Singer Shirley Bassey of “Goldfinger” fame and composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber are among the musical guests who have confirmed their attendance.

Thatcher's wishes
The ceremony will proceed in line with instructions left by the former prime minister herself, according to the Daily Telegraph.

She requested that Cameron read a passage from the Bible but did not want a political eulogy, the Telegraph reported. Thatcher also asked that her favourite hymns be sung, including "To Be a Pilgrim", "I Vow to Thee My Country" and "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling".
The programme will also feature lines from Wordsworth's “Intimations of Immortality” and TS Eliot's “Little Gidding”.

Several politicians from the Thatcher era – including former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, former German chancellor Helmut Kohl and Ronald Reagan's widow Nancy – will not attend due to ill health.

Thatcher's family will be represented by her twins, Mark and Carol, 59. Thatcher’s husband, Denis, died in 2003.
Security concerns were heightened in the wake of a mass protest in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, organised by Thatcher critics to celebrate her passing. Many of those taking part have indicated their intention to protest along the funeral route on Wednesday.
"The right to protest is one that must be upheld," Commander Christine Jones, who is leading the security operation, told AFP. "However, we will work to do that while balancing the rights of those who wish to pay their respects."
Jones was in charge of security at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in April 2011.
"We are hugely experienced in safely delivering high-profile and ceremonial events in the capital," she said.