Former Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher has died today after suffering a stroke.
Britain's first and only female political leader passed away peacefully aged 87, after suffering from poor health for more than a decade.
Baroness Thatcher had been staying at the Ritz Hotel in Central London for several months, but it is not known if she died there.
Her spokesman Lord Bell said: 'It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning'.
Her daughter Carol dashed from her home in the Alps to London on Sunday morning to be by her mother's side before she died.
The Queen was sad to hear of Baroness Thatcher's death and Her Majesty will send a private message of sympathy to the family, Buckingham Palace said today.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: 'It was with great sadness that l learned of Lady Thatcher’s death. We've lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton.
'As our first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds, and the real thing about Margaret Thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country, she saved our country, and I believe she'll go down as the greatest British peacetime prime minister.
'Her legacy will be the fact she served her country so well, she saved our country and that she showed immense courage in doing so.
'And people will be learning about what she did and her achievements in decades, probably centuries to come. That's her legacy but today we must also think of her family.'
The grocer's daughter, who became the longest serving British prime minister of the 20th century, will be honoured with a full ceremonial funeral, with military honours, at St Paul's Cathedral.
Not since Winston Churchill's death has a politician been granted such a tribute. His funeral was also held there in 1965.
The streets between Westminster and St Paul's will be cleared for the procession, the date of which is yet to be decided.
It is understood that Lady Thatcher was consulted about details of the funeral arrangements, and made clear that she did not want her body to lie in state.
Downing Street said: 'The service will be followed by a private cremation. All the arrangements being put in place are in line with wishes of Lady Thatcher's family.'
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