Ex-Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher dies, aged 87
London - Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher died at the age of 87 on Monday after a stroke, her spokesman said.
"It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother, Baroness Thatcher, died peacefully following a stroke this morning," said spokesman Timothy Bell.
Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit to Spain and cancelled a visit to France after the announcement.
"It was with great sadness that I learned of Lady Thatcher's death," he said on Twitter. "We've lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton."
Queen Elizabeth II also expressed sadness at Thatcher's death and said she would send a private message to her family.
The former Conservative leader - nicknamed the Iron Lady by Moscow during the Cold War - became Britain's first female prime minister in 1979 and the first leader to win three elections in a row. She resigned in 1990.
John Major, who succeeded Thatcher as prime minister and Conservative leader said she was "true force of nature" and a "political phenomenon."
He added: "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."
Thatcher led a major privatization push and took Britain to war with Argentina in 1982 over the Falkland Islands.
She is to receive a ceremonial funeral with military honours at St Paul's Cathedral in London, Cameron's office said, rather than a state funeral.
Thatcher had suffered several minor strokes in 2002 and was deeply saddened by the death of her husband Denis in 2003. There has been much speculation about her health in recent years and a 2011 film starring Meryl Streep portrayed her as having dementia.
Though a divisive figure for many, she was courted by the Left and the Right.
Former Labour premiers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown invited her for tea and Cameron has also tried to associate himself with her policies and style of leadership.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: "She will be remembered both for her contributions and reserves to our common project."
David Cameron called her a "great Briton" and the Queen spoke of her sadness at the death. Lady Thatcher was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990. She was the first woman to hold the role.
She will not have a state funeral but will be accorded the same status as Princess Diana and the Queen Mother.
She will not have a state funeral but will be accorded the same status as Princess Diana and the Queen Mother.
The ceremony, with full military honours, will take place at London's St Paul's Cathedral. The union jack above Number 10 Downing Street has been lowered to half-mast.
'Force of nature'
Mr Cameron, who is in Madrid for meetings, has cancelled planned talks in Paris with French President Francois Hollande and will return to the UK later on Monday.
