This is the deathbed of Baroness Thatcher, located within The Ritz, encircled by those who cared for her.
The Iron Lady passed away ‘peacefully’ at 11:28 am on Monday after suffering a stroke, while she was sitting up and engaged in quiet reading.
Having experienced a series of mini-strokes over the last decade, Lady Thatcher recognized her condition as she fell ill in the opulent room. “But this was the one that proved fatal,” a friend remarked today.
The suite, which could cost as much as $5,000 per night, features 24-carat gold leaf and antique Louis XVI furnishings and is comparable in size to a small apartment.
She had been undergoing intermittent health issues, and this was just another incident. Realizing the signs of a minor stroke, she acknowledged this was the one that ultimately took her life. The doctor was summoned, but it was very swift.
It remains uncertain what Lady Thatcher was reading at the time of her passing, but sources suggest it might have been the newspapers from that morning.
It is believed that Lady Thatcher might have been staying in the room at a discounted rate or possibly for free, courtesy of the Barclay brothers, who own the hotel and the Daily Telegraph.
Her body was collected from the hotel by a private ambulance nearly 13 hours later, at 12:20 am the following day, with her funeral set for next Wednesday.
At the time of her death, her twins Mark and Carol were overseas, but there were claims today that they had been restricting visits to their mother.
“They opted to permit just one visitor per week at The Ritz, and more often than not, those visits would be canceled,” reported one critic.
“I regret that I couldn’t be there to see her. I believed I could bring her some joy. I feel robbed of a chance to say goodbye.”
Tory MP Conor Burns, who visited her weekly, shared: “We would enjoy a couple of what she referred to as ‘proper ones’ – stiff gins – or a bottle of wine.”
He noted that she sometimes preferred silence, so he brought along magazines or newspapers, and they would enjoy reciting Kipling and her beloved childhood poem, the Owl and the Pussycat.
They also engaged in political discussions, and when he told her that Nick Clegg intended to abolish the House of Lords, she retorted, “Well, we should abolish the Liberal Democrats.”
In her later life, she would occasionally dine at the Ritz, where staff were well aware to serve chicken consommé alongside a main course of lemon sole. Other patrons frequently applauded her presence as she entered the dining area.
In March of the previous year, she was spotted on a park bench in London basking in the sun with her caregiver Kate. High heels were replaced by comfy sandals, complemented by a walking stick.
During Christmas, she underwent minor surgery in a hospital to have a growth removed from her bladder. Upon her discharge, she found herself unsteady on her feet, making a return home impractical.
Therefore, she quietly relocated to a suite at the Ritz – one of her preferred destinations – and the Barclay brothers invited her to reside there for the foreseeable future.
She never departed.
Her two caregivers alternated staying with her, and the same circle of friends who had previously visited her at her Belgravia residence were organized on a visit schedule at the Ritz.
Reportedly, ten staff members from the distinguished hotel are on the guest list for Lady Thatcher’s funeral.
Yesterday, her body was escorted away by three undertakers.in the front, accompanied by four diplomatic protection officers on motorbikes.
A BMW 4×4 trailed behind, containing two men in the front and featuring blacked-out windows in the back. Security was elevated, with over a dozen police officers surrounding the hotel as the vehicle departed.
A police helicopter hovered in the sky above. The ambulance made its way through the wrought iron gates at the back of the hotel, which had been under strict surveillance since the announcement of her death.
Preparations were underway for the ceremonial funeral, set to occur at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London with full military honors, as MPs began organizing tributes to her in Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are also expected to attend the service at St Paul’s Cathedral, marking the first political funeral that Britain’s monarch has attended personally since Winston Churchill’s in 1965.
Lady Thatcher’s family was anticipated to gather in London yesterday, with her son Mark expected to arrive from Spain last night and his twin sister Carol now believed to be in the country as well.
Following the official funeral ceremony, a separate private family gathering will take place as Lady Thatcher is cremated in Mortlake, South West London.
It is understood that her ashes will subsequently be interred alongside her husband Sir Denis’s in the cemetery at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea.
The costs associated with the funeral will be shared between the Government and Lady Thatcher’s estate, which is thought to be around $15 million.
The list of international mourners is expected to be led by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Nancy Reagan, the wife of her close ally, US President Ronald Reagan.
MPs are being called back from their Easter recess today to allow them to pay tribute to her. The House of Lords has also been recalled and will convene at 2:30 PM, coinciding with the Commons.
However, as tributes poured in for Britain’s first and only female prime minister, many from the Left criticized the social repercussions of her policies that promoted the free market and diminished the power of unions.
On Monday evening, numerous individuals held gatherings in Glasgow and Brixton, south London, to ‘celebrate’ her passing. Nonetheless, today the Government will be presenting a motion expected to honor her legacy.
Prime Minister David Cameron is anticipated to address the Commons, followed by Labour leader Ed Miliband. There will also be an opportunity for backbench MPs to share their personal tributes to her.
As Lady Thatcher’s health declined, the question of whether she should receive a state funeral—similar to Churchill’s—became increasingly contentious.
However, it has come to light that she herself rejected the notion and also insisted that she did not wish for her body to lie in state or for funds to be allocated for a fly-past.
Instead, the streets will be cleared for a procession from Westminster to St Paul’s, where a televised service attended by dignitaries from around the globe will take place.
by Vandas Voice
