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.
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'.
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.'
He will return early from his visit to Europe this afternoon following the death of Baroness Thatcher, Downing Street said.
The grocer's daughter, who became the longest serving British prime minister of the 20th century, will be honoured with a full state funeral 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.
'A wide and diverse range of people and groups with connections to Lady Thatcher will be invited,' Number 10 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. Further details will be published over the coming days.'
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.
The streets between Westminster and St Paul's will be cleared for the procession, the date of which is yet to be decided.
Election elation: Mrs Thatcher waves from the steps of No 10 Downing Street with husband Denis after become Britain's first female Prime Minister in 1979
The union flag above Number 10 Downing Street has been lowered to half-mast and flowers were left outside her Chelsea home within an hour of the announcement of her death.
Britain’s first and only female prime minister, who won three consecutive general elections, had been in fragile health. Baroness Thatcher suffered acute short-term memory loss and had a series of strokes over a decade.
She came to power in May 1979, at the end of the infamous Winter of Discontent, where Britain was crippled by a wave of national strikes.
The Iron Lady, named because of her strong will, spent the next decade curbing the power of trade unions, signalling the end of an era when trade union leaders trooped in and out of 10 Downing Street, haggling and bargaining with her Labour predecessors.
Instead she stripped the unions of many of their powers with the aim of transferring them to managements and individual consumers.
Mrs Thatcher successfully defied Arthur Scargill's nationwide and year-long miners' strike, which threatened to cripple Britain's entire economic base.
Landmark moment: Mrs Thatcher arrives at No 10 Downing Street to take up office following the Conservative election victory in 1979
Death: Former Prime minister Margaret Thatcher leaves Number 10 Downing Street for the last time after she was defeated by John Major in the Conservative Party leadership election of 1990
Respect: Prime Minster David Cameron pays tribute to Mrs Thatcher on Twitter
Sadness: Mayor of London Boris Johnson says Mrs Thatcher's memory live on for years to come
And as she transformed the nation - attempting to release the grip of the state on massive industries and public services alike - she became one of the most influential, talked-about, listened-to and dominant statesmen of the Western world.
When Argentina invaded the Falklands, she despatched a task force to the South Atlantic which drove the enemy off the islands in an incomparable military operation 8,000 miles from home.
She also helped bring an end top the Cold War with the help of her great friend, U.S. president Ronald Reagan.
And her fight to keep Northern Ireland British meant she became the IRA's number one target, surviving the Brighton bombing on her hotel in 1984 where others died.
Loyal support: Mrs Thatcher with husband Denis at a party to celebrate her autobiography Path to Power at the Roof Gardens, Kensington, in June 1995
Grief: Floral tributes are left outside Mrs Thatcher's London home as news of her death filtered through
In memory: Flowers laid outside Lady Thatcher's home pay tribute to 'the greatest British leader... who made Britain what it is'
Family outing: Lady Thatcher leaves for a lunch with her son Mark and daughter-in-law Sarah on her 86th birthday in 2011
Former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major described Baroness Thatcher as a 'true force of nature' and a 'political phenomenon'.
He said: 'In government, the UK was turned around under - and in large measure because of - her leadership.
'Her reforms of the economy, trades union law, and her recovery of the Falkland Islands elevated her above normal politics, and may not have been achieved under any other leader.
'Her outstanding characteristics will always be remembered by those who worked closely with her: courage and determination in politics, and humanity and generosity of spirit in private.'
In the end she spent 11 years in Downing Street, the longest run by any 20th century prime minister.
She said many times that she could not have achieved what she did without the help and support of her husband Denis, 10 years her senior.
He was, she once said, 'the golden thread running through my life' - the man 'who has made everything possible'.
Throughout their marriage - which lasted more than 50 years - there was never anything, publicly at any rate, to suggest that they enjoyed other than a loving and rewarding partnership.
Proud of the military: The former Tory Prime Minister stands in a British tank during a visit to British forces in Fallingbostel, Germany, in September 1986
Iron leader: Mrs Thatcher pictured with British forces during a visit to the Falklands in January 1983
Cross-Atlantic ties: Then U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Mrs Thatcher walk with his dog Lucky in the grounds of the White House in 1985
Rise to power: Mrs Thatcher at her cottage in Lamberhurst, Kent, when she was Education secretary in 1970
Former prime minister Tony Blair today described Baroness Thatcher as 'a towering political figure'.
He added: 'Very few leaders get to change not only the political landscape of their country but of the world. Margaret was such a leader. Her global impact was vast. And some of the changes she made in Britain were, in certain respects at least, retained by the 1997 Labour Government, and came to be implemented by governments around the world.
'As a person she was kind and generous spirited and was always immensely supportive to me as Prime Minister although we came from opposite sides of politics.
'Even if you disagreed with her as I did on certain issues and occasionally strongly, you could not disrespect her character or her contribution to Britain's national life. She will be sadly missed.'
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said this afternoon: 'Margaret Thatcher was one of the defining figures in modern British politics.
'Whatever side of the political debate you stand on, no-one can deny that as prime minister she left a unique and lasting imprint on the country she served.
'She may have divided opinion during her time in politics but everyone will be united today in acknowledging the strength of her personality and the radicalism of her politics.
'My thoughts are with her family and friends.'
Labour leader Ed Miliband today said Baroness Thatcher would be remembered as 'a unique figure', adding: 'She reshaped the politics of a whole generation.'
VIDEO Baroness Thatcher's most iconic moments on camera
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said: 'Sarah and I have sent messages to Lady Thatcher's son Mark and daughter Carol, offering our condolences to them and to the Thatcher family and commemorating Lady Thatcher's many decades of service to our country.
'She will be remembered not only for being Britain's first female Prime Minister and holding the office for 11 years, but also for the determination and resilience with which she carried out all her duties throughout her public life. Even those who disagreed with her never doubted the strength of her convictions and her unwavering belief in Britain's destiny in the world.
'During our time in Number 10, Sarah and I invited Lady Thatcher to revisit Downing Street and Chequers - something which we know she enjoyed very much. But it was sad for her and her family that she lost her devoted husband Denis almost 10 years ago and that she was unable to enjoy good health in the later years of her retirement.'
On his Twitter feed, London Mayor Boris Johnson said: 'Very sad to hear of death of Baroness Thatcher. Her memory will live long after the world has forgotten the grey suits of today's politics.'
And UKIP leader Nigel Farage said she was a 'great patriotic lady'.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said she 'did great hurt to Irish and British people during time as prime minister'.
Royal relations: The Queen joins Margaret Thatcher at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in London for the former Prime Minister's 80th birthday in 2005
Trading thoughts: The Queen talks with Mrs Thatcher at a reception for the 39 heads of delegations attending the Commonwealth Conference in Lusaka, Zambia, in August 1979
Her triumphant achievement of power in May 1979 signalled the end of the era when trade union leaders trooped in and out of 10, Downing Street, haggling and bargaining with her Labour predecessors.
Instead she stripped the unions of many of their powers with the aim of transferring them to managements and individual consumers.
In 1990, a leadership challenge forced her to leave No 10 and two years later she was made a life peer, as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven.
In recent years she has led a quiet life cared for by her loyal housekeeper Kate. She suffered a minor stroke in 2002 which left her with short-term memory loss.
Her beloved husband Denis died in 2003 and her children Mark and Carol both live abroad.
Lady Thatcher was not well enough to join the Queen for a lunch with former and serving prime ministers as part of the Diamond Jubilee this summer. And two years ago she missed an 85th birthday party thrown in her honour by Mr Cameron at 10 Downing Street.
Portrait: Baroness Thatcher stands next to a portrait of herself at 10 Downing Street, painted by artist Richard Stone, in November, 2009
Past and present: Baroness Margaret Thatcher waves as she stands with British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, ahead of a meeting in June 2010
In October she was sufficiently well, however, to mark her 87th birthday with lunch at a restaurant in London’s St James’s district with Mark and his wife.
Tributes poured in from the political world today.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said Baroness Thatcher was 'the reason I came into politics'.
He said: 'Watching her set out to change Britain for the better in 1979 made me believe there was, at last, real purpose and real leadership in politics once again.
'She bestrode the political world like a colossus. This is dreadfully sad news and my thoughts and prayers are with her family.'
Senior Tory MP David Davis said: 'Margaret Thatcher was the greatest of modern British prime ministers, and was central to the huge transformation of the whole world that took place after the fall of the Soviet Union.
'Millions of people in Britain and around the world owe her a debt of gratitude for their freedom and their quality of life, which was made possible by her courageous commitment to the principles of individual freedom and responsibility.'
Child's play: Mrs Thatcher greets toddler Adam Moffatt at the Ideal Home Exhibition in 1990
On the money trail: Mrs Thatcher holds a £1 note in Putney, south-west London, in 1979
Lord Howe, Baroness Thatcher's former foreign secretary, said his ex-leader had had the 'ability to handle a whole range of foreign policies'.
It was Lord Howe's resignation speech, in which he was very critical of her leadership, that led to Michael Heseltine's leadership challenge and Mrs Thatcher's ultimate fall in 1990.
Speaking on Sky News today, Lord Howe said his speech had not been an attack on Mrs Thatcher.
Asked about his personal relationship with her, he replied: 'It was all a long time ago.'
Labour MP Margaret Beckett, now a dame, said Mrs Thatcher becoming the first woman prime minister was 'a tremendous achievement', but she added that it was 'a little sad' she had not managed to get another woman into the cabinet.
Dame Margaret went on: 'Not everyone will have happy memories of her record.'
Asked about her personal relationship, she added that Mrs Thatcher had 'always been very polite to me'
Asked about her personal relationship, she added that Mrs Thatcher had 'always been very polite to me'
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