The Queen has given her consent for Margaret Thatcher to have a ceremonial funeral in St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday April 17.
The remains will be taken in a motor vehicle procession from the Palace of Westminster to the RAF Chapel at the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand. There is will be transferred to a horse drawn gun carriage and on to St. Paul's. The procession route will be lined by members of the armed forces. "Chelsea Pensioners" will attend on the steps of the Cathedral.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will attend, the first time for a former Prime Minister since the State Funeral of Winston Churchill. This however will not be a full State Funeral. The status is the one down, similar to the funerals of Diana and the Queen Mother although both of those took place at Westminster Abbey.
There are three important differences between a State Funeral and the ceremonial funerals with full military honors Thatcher will be given in "Operation True Blue".
First, a State Funeral has to be approved by Parliament. Thatcher well understood the controversy such a proposal would make in the Commons and requested that she should not be given one.
Second, the body will not lie in state (usually 3 days) in Westminster Hall, the most ancient part of the Palace of Westminster. This is not an essential different as the Queen Mother did lie in state there for the public to pay respects. Instead it will be taken to the chapel of St Mary Undercroft. MPs and peers will be given a chance to pay respects. The chapel is a Royal Peculiar, like Westminster Abbey and is normally used for the weddings and Christenings of MP, peers and their families.
St Paul's Cathedral is an ordinary Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of London. It has probably been chosen over Westminster Abbey because of the additional room for international guests. It was also used for Churchill's funeral.
The third main difference will be the use of horses to draw the gun carriage on the last leg. At a full State Funeral this would be pulled by members of the Royal Navy. That tradition started after the funeral of Queen Victoria when the horses originally pulling the carriage bolted and the sailors stepped in.
It is believed a number of street parties are being organised to celebrate the occasion.
After the funeral service
Thatcher will be cremated and her ashes placed next to her husband Denis at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. The name refers not to a medical establishment. It was established in 1682 as a fitting home for retired soldiers by Charles II. A similar establishment for retired sailors was established at Greenwich. The two have been merged on the Chelsea site and now accommodates retired from all three services. In exchange for their pension, they receive full accommodation and meals, a small stipend and are issued with a distinctive red uniform (which usually guarantees they are brought a drink at the local pubs).
Thatcher had a long association with the Royal Hospital and raised money for the charity that provides improvements for the pensioners. A medical centre and care home for them on the site is named after her. Thatcher asked that mourners donate to the charity rather than send flowers.