LONDON
Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Omer Celik attended the funeral of Britain's former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who died on April 8 due to a stroke at the age of 87.
The funeral ceremony of Britain's first and only woman premier took place at St. Paul's Cathedral which was participated by Queen Elizabeth II and her spouse Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, British Prime Minister David Cameron as well as nearly 2,300 people.
The last time Queen Elizabeth II had attended a funeral was former Prime Minister Winston Churchill's in 1965.
Thatcher will be cremated, and her ashes will be placed near her husband's in a monument at Chelsea Royal Hospital.
Tight security measures were taken at London streets for the ceremony. Over 4,000 police officers are working on streets within the scope of measures which were further increased especially after Monday's blasts in Boston, US.
Known as the "Iron Lady", Thatcher was Britain's first and only woman prime minister. She held the post from 1979 to 1990.
She had been admitted to hospital frequently in recent years due to health problems.
Thatcher was credited with transforming a nation in one decade, putting Britain back among the leading industrial nations of the world.
