Margaret Thatcher: A Life in Pictures
Photo: DANIEL JANIN/2013 AFP
Margaret Thatcher, the United Kingdom’s long-serving but divisive first female prime minister, died this morning at age 87. As the world debates the Iron Lady’s legacy, here’s a look back at her eleven years as PM and a lifetime in the public eye. Click ahead for a photo retrospective of Margaret Thatcher’s life — dancing with Reagan, meeting with Gorbachev, riding in a military tank.
Margaret Hilda Thatcher (née Roberts) was born in 1925. She studied chemistry at Oxford University, and worked as a research chemist before bec...
Margaret Hilda Thatcher (née Roberts) was born in 1925. She studied chemistry at Oxford University, and worked as a research chemist before becoming a barrister in 1954. She was first selected as a Conservative Party candidate for Parliament at age 23, but did not win a seat until a decade later, in 1959. Photo: Manchester Daily Express/SSPL/Manchester Daily Express
Margaret Thatcher, then Miss Margaret Roberts, attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace, as a Conservative Party candidate.
Photo: Central Press
Thatcher, as the newly elected MP for Finchley, arrives at the House of Commons in October of 1959.
Photo: Manchester Daily Express/SSPL/Manche...
Thatcher, as the newly elected MP for Finchley, arrives at the House of Commons in October of 1959.
Photo: Manchester Daily Express/SSPL/Manchester Daily Express
In 1970, Thatcher was made secretary of State for education and science, and in 1974, opposition front-bench spokesman. The attache case for secretary...
In 1970, Thatcher was made secretary of State for education and science, and in 1974, opposition front-bench spokesman. The attache case for secretary of State for education and science is on the right of the picture, taken in 1974. Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, and in 1979 became Britain's first female prime minister.
Photo: Terry O’Neill/2005 Getty Images
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher waves as she arrives to take office on May 4, 1979 at No. 10 Downing Street with her husband Denis (2nd...
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher waves as she arrives to take office on May 4, 1979 at No. 10 Downing Street with her husband Denis (2nd L). After three general election victories, in November 1990, Thatcher was forced out of office by her own party. In 1992, she was elevated to the House of Lords to become Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven.
Photo: -/2010 AFP
A file photo dated 29 March 1982 of Luxembourg's Prime Minister Pierre Werner (L) and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attending the 22nd Euro...
A file photo dated 29 March 1982 of Luxembourg's Prime Minister Pierre Werner (L) and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attending the 22nd European Council in Brussels.
Photo: JEAN MEUNIER
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) shakes hands with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (L), on February 6, 1982 in London during his official...
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) shakes hands with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (L), on February 6, 1982 in London during his official visit to England.
Photo: AFP/2010 AFP
Ronald Reagan (R) and Margaret Thatcher wave after their arrival in Camp David, 22 December 1984, before their meeting.
Photo: AFP/2013 AFP
Photo dated 19 December 1984 shows senior Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (L) meeting the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The joint Sino-B...
Photo dated 19 December 1984 shows senior Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (L) meeting the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The joint Sino-British declaration sealing Hong Kong's future was signed in 1984.
Photo: PIERRE-ANTOINE DONNET
French President Francois Mitterrand (L) and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher deliver a press conference after the Franco-British summit, on N...
French President Francois Mitterrand (L) and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher deliver a press conference after the Franco-British summit, on November 18, 1985 in London.
Photo: DANIEL JANIN/2012 AFP
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher greets curious Moscovites who gathered to see her on March 29, 1987 in Moscow, during her official visit in U...
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher greets curious Moscovites who gathered to see her on March 29, 1987 in Moscow, during her official visit in USSR.
Photo: DANIEL JANIN/2013 AFP
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (L) poses 30 March 1987 with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at the start of talks at the Kremlin in Moscow.
...
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (L) poses 30 March 1987 with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at the start of talks at the Kremlin in Moscow.
Photo: -
British PM Margaret Thatcher out for spin in Union Jack–flying Challenger tank during maneuvers at NATO training ground near Falling Bostel.
Photo: P...
British PM Margaret Thatcher out for spin in Union Jack–flying Challenger tank during maneuvers at NATO training ground near Falling Bostel.
Photo: Peter Jordan/Peter Jordan
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dances with U.S. President Ronald Reagan 16 November 1988 following a state dinner given in her honor at the ...
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dances with U.S. President Ronald Reagan 16 November 1988 following a state dinner given in her honor at the White House.
Photo: M. SPRAGUE/2013 AFP
South African anti-apartheid leader and African National Congress (ANC) member Nelson Mandela (R) shakes hands with British Prime Minister Margaret Th...
South African anti-apartheid leader and African National Congress (ANC) member Nelson Mandela (R) shakes hands with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher 4 July 1990 on the steps of No. 10 Downing Street. Mandela is on a two-day visit to the United Kingdom.
Photo: GERRY PENNY/2012 AFP
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher yawns on 19 November 1990 in Paris as she attends the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Phot...
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher yawns on 19 November 1990 in Paris as she attends the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Photo: JEAN-LOUP GAUTREAU/2010 AFP
U.S. President George Bush (L) walks with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (R) as they leave the Oval Office at the White House on June...
U.S. President George Bush (L) walks with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (R) as they leave the Oval Office at the White House on June 20, 1991.
Photo: LUKE FRAZZA/2012 AFP
With an assist from his wife Nancy, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan (C) blows out the candles on his cake on 6 February 1993 as he celebrates his ...
With an assist from his wife Nancy, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan (C) blows out the candles on his cake on 6 February 1993 as he celebrates his 82nd birthday. At left is former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The event took place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Photo: HAL GARB
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher poses in front of the Place de la Concorde at the hotel Crillon balcony in Paris on June 22, 1995, whe...
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher poses in front of the Place de la Concorde at the hotel Crillon balcony in Paris on June 22, 1995, where she is presenting the second tome of her memoirs.
Photo: GERARD FOUET/2012 AFP
British former Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher (L) protests against having her picture taken as she walks alongside Sheikh Faysal Bin Saqr A...
British former Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher (L) protests against having her picture taken as she walks alongside Sheikh Faysal Bin Saqr Al Qasimi (2L), chairman of the new free trade zone in Ras Al Khaimah emirate, 24 March. Al-Qasimi danced a traditional Bedouin dance with the former British Prime Minister, who is in the emirate for the opening of an exhibition for British companies.
Photo: RABIH MOGHRABI/2012 AFP
Picture taken 26 March 1999 of Chile's former dictator (1973-90) General Augusto Pinochet (C) and his wife being visited by Margaret Thatcher (R) at t...
Picture taken 26 March 1999 of Chile's former dictator (1973-90) General Augusto Pinochet (C) and his wife being visited by Margaret Thatcher (R) at their temporary residence while under house arrest at Wentworth in Surrey, Great Britain. Pinochet, 91, died 10 December, 2006 at the Military Hospital in Santiago, where he was admitted a week ago following a heart attack. Accused of fraud and human rights abuses during his regime, Pinochet was first ordered under house arrest in late October on other charges only to be released on parole a few days later in deference to his advanced age and ill health.
Photo: POOL/2006 AFP
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher waves as she leaves after a morning defence session, 3 October 2000, on the second day of the Conserva...
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher waves as she leaves after a morning defence session, 3 October 2000, on the second day of the Conservative Party Conference at the Bournemouth International Centre.
Photo: GERRY PENNY/2012 AFP
Court Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Sabah attends a garden party at the British embassy in Kuwait City 25 February 2001. Thatcher arrived in Kuwait yester...
Court Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Sabah attends a garden party at the British embassy in Kuwait City 25 February 2001. Thatcher arrived in Kuwait yesterday to attend a two-day celebration to mark the emirate's national day and a decade of liberation from Iraq.
Photo: RABIH MOGHRABI/2012 AFP
Queen Elizabeth II with Prime Minister Tony Blair and former prime ministers Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Sir Edward Heath, Lord Callaghan, and John Ma...
Queen Elizabeth II with Prime Minister Tony Blair and former prime ministers Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Sir Edward Heath, Lord Callaghan, and John Major inside 10 Downing Street before an official dinner held to mark the start of the national celebrations for her Golden Jubilee year.
Photo: Terry O’Neill
Margaret Thatcher (L) meets with President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (R) in London 28 January 2002. President Macapagal-Arroyo, the P...
Margaret Thatcher (L) meets with President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (R) in London 28 January 2002. President Macapagal-Arroyo, the Philippines' second female head of state, was visiting Britain on a two day official visit.
Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sits as sculptor Neil Simmons works on a marble statue of her in this undated file photo.
Photo: Char...
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sits as sculptor Neil Simmons works on a marble statue of her in this undated file photo.
Photo: Charles Roff
Maria Shriver, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attend the interment ceremony as former P...
Maria Shriver, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attend the interment ceremony as former President Ronald Reagan is laid to rest at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library June 11, 2004 in Simi Valley, California. Reagan died of pneumonia due to complications with Alzheimer's at age 93 at his home in California.
Photo: Pool/2004 Getty Images
Margaret Thatcher (L) and daughter Carol Thatcher watch the match between Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium and Amelie Mauresmo of France during the w...
Margaret Thatcher (L) and daughter Carol Thatcher watch the match between Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium and Amelie Mauresmo of France during the women's final match on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 8, 2006 in London, England.
Photo: Phil Cole/2006 Getty Images
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (L) shakes hands to U.S. Senator John McCain as she leaves after meeting with Republican lawmake...
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (L) shakes hands to U.S. Senator John McCain as she leaves after meeting with Republican lawmakers at the weekly Republican policy luncheon September 12, 2006 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Thatcher was in Washington to attend commemoration ceremonies of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Photo: Alex Wong/2006 Getty Images
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (L) and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair attend the Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph on N...
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (L) and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair attend the Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph on November 12, 2006 in London, England. The Festival of Remembrance is an annual event to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. The Festival comprises a service of Remembrance and an observance of the Two Minute Silence. It is also an opportunity to think about the Service men and women around the world who are putting their lives at risk protecting our peace and freedom today.
Photo: Scott Barbour/2006 Getty Images
Baroness Margaret Thatcher arrives at the U.K. Commemorative Service for Northern Ireland Operations at St Paul's Cathedral on September 10, 2008 in L...
Baroness Margaret Thatcher arrives at the U.K. Commemorative Service for Northern Ireland Operations at St Paul's Cathedral on September 10, 2008 in London, England.
Photo: Chris Jackson/2008 Getty Images
Prime Minister Gordon Brown greets Lady Thatcher at Downing Street on November 23, 2009 in London. Guests arrived at the official home of the Prime Mi...
Prime Minister Gordon Brown greets Lady Thatcher at Downing Street on November 23, 2009 in London. Guests arrived at the official home of the Prime Minister for the unveiling of a new portrait of former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher.
Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/2009 Getty Images
The Prince of Wales, in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment, speaks with Baroness Thatcher and Major General Jonathan Shaw (2nd rig...
The Prince of Wales, in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment, speaks with Baroness Thatcher and Major General Jonathan Shaw (2nd right) during a reception to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the formation of the Airborne Forces at the Royal Hospital on June 24, 2010 in London, United Kingdom.
Photo: WPA Pool/2010 Getty Images
British Prime Minister David Cameron and former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher leave from Number 10 Downing Street following her visit on June 8, 20...
British Prime Minister David Cameron and former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher leave from Number 10 Downing Street following her visit on June 8, 2010 in London, England. Baroness Thatcher served as Prime Minister of the U.K. from 1979 to 1990.
Photo: Oli Scarff/2010 Getty Images
Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher waits to greet Pope Benedict XVI at Westminster Hall on September 17, 2010 in London, United Kingdom. During t...
Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher waits to greet Pope Benedict XVI at Westminster Hall on September 17, 2010 in London, United Kingdom. During the four day state visit Pope Benedict will celebrate mass, conduct a prayer vigil, as well as beatify Cardinal Newman at an open air mass in Cofton Park. His Holiness has met the Queen in Scotland as well as political and religious representatives.
Photo: Christopher Furlong/2010 Getty Images
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