Thatcher wanted Prime Minister to give reading at funeral
Margaret Thatcher left instructions that the British Prime Minister should give a reading at her funeral, it emerged today.
The former British premier laid down detailed instructions as to how the service, to be held on Wednesday at St Paul’s Cathedral should proceed, according to The Daily Telegraph.
They were said to include the choice of hymns – among them the patriotic 'I Vow to Thee, My Country' – and readings from the Bible.
She specified that the British Prime Minister at the time of her death – should read a lesson from the Gospels.
Her choice of reading was John 14.1, which says: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
“I go to prepare a place for you.“
Another lesson will be read by Thatcher’s 19-year-old granddaughter Amanda, the Telegraph said.
The service will also include readings from the Book of Common Prayer, including the burial prayer that begins: “Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live and is full of misery. He cometh up and is cut down like a flower.”
There will be the traditional reading for meeting the body arriving at a church, which begins: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord. He that believeth in me, yea, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
Among the other hymns selected by Thatcher are John Bunyan’s 'To Be a Pilgrim' and 'Love Divine, All Loves Excelling'.
It was announced last night that MPs and peers will be able to pay their respects to Thatcher in Parliament’s Chapel of St Mary Undercroft on the eve of her funeral.
The chapel will be open on Tuesday evening so members and staff from both Houses can visit the former Prime Minister’s coffin.
Around 100 people will also be invited to a short service led by the Dean of Westminster welcoming Thatcher’s body.
Downing Street said Thatcher had requested her body rested overnight in the historic chapel, and the Queen had given her consent.
“There will be a short service for around 100 people, led by the Dean of Westminster, to receive the body of Baroness Thatcher in the chapel,” a spokesman said.
The service will not be a public event and will be attended by the family and senior figures from both Houses.
The remaining seats in the chapel will be offered to members and staff who knew or worked closely with Thatcher or who served her in some personal capacity such as housekeepers who looked after her office in the Houses of Parliament.
It is understood Thatcher’s body will arrive at the Palace of Westminster by hearse, and leave again by hearse without a formal ceremony.
