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Iron Lady drops a curtsey for the Queen at Falklands memorial
Last updated at 20:37pm on 14.06.07Twenty-five years ago, they were the women at the head of a nation at war.
Yesterday, the Queen and Lady Thatcher, both 81 and looking almost identical in lilac outfits and matching hats, met to remember the 255 Britons who fell in the Falklands.
They were attending a service of thanksgiving marking the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Port Stanley and the end of the war.
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Former Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher drops a curtsey for the Queen as Tony Blair and wife Cherie look on
The Queen and Prince Philip attend the 25th anniversary of the liberation
Despite her frailty, Lady Thatcher - who has suffered a number of strokes in recent years - managed a low curtsey for the Queen.
The congregation, which also included Tony Blair and his wife Cherie and many veterans, gathered at the Falklands Islands Memorial Chapel at Pangbourne College, Berkshire.
Mark Jones, 46, of Fleet, Hampshire - a Royal Engineers Lance Corporal who served with 3 Parachute Regiment - said:
"Twenty-five years have gone so quickly and, while I feel proud that we were able to do something for Britain, I still mourn those boys who did not come home to their families."
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Mark Coreth, 48, who was a troop Leader with the Blues and Royals during the war, said: "There is a sadness today mixed with huge feelings of pride. It was a campaign we all were prepared to give our lives for."
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Baroness Thatcher: Prime Minister throughout the conflict
The event began with a flypast of Harrier jump-jets. The widow of Colonel H Jones, the commander of 2 Para who was killed in the Battle of Goose Green and posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, gave a reading.
Perhaps the most moving part of the ceremony, however, came when the Queen was introduced to a group of young men and woman - all aged 25 - who never knew their war hero fathers.
James Hailwood, 25, from Chepstow, lost his father Christopher when the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Sir Galahad was bombed and set on fire in Bluff Cove. James was six months old at the time.
Prince Edward returns to the Falkland Islands to mark the anniversary of the liberation
A memorial to the dead, surrounded by poppy wreaths
However, his thoughts were with those who could remeber their fathers "because it's more difficult for them".
In London, the 20,000-ton aircraft carrier Ark Royal sailed up the Thames to Greenwich to mark the anniversary.
Twenty-five years ago, her sister ship Invincible was part of the task force that retook the Falklands, carrying the Harriers that played such a key role in the fighting.
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A service of thanksgiving also took place at Port Stanley's Christ Church Cathedral.
Among those present were the Earl of Wessex, Lord Parkinson - who served in Lady Thatcher's war cabinet - and Sir Rex Hunt, governor of the islands at the time.
Reader views (4)
Can we find out how much we spend feeding the average MP every day? If they're willing to send these men to war without every serving themselves the least they can do is feed them as well as they feed themselves.
- Mark, London, UK
good gracious! is Thatcher still alive?
- Tony, montpellier, france
Lady Thatcher's defiance of doctors' orders was a brave move but the right one. It was she who sent the troops and victory was as much hers as leader as that of the armed forces. Margaret Thatcher always supported our armed forces as has the Queen and the Royal family.
Tony Blair on the other hand was the Labour candidate for Beaconsfield during the by election that took place during the Falklands War. He campaigned vigorously against the war so his presence at the memorial service is that of the skeleton at the feast.
Twenty years on Tony Blair involved our armed forces in a war where no British interests were threatened. This is a strange sort of logic. Unlike Margaret Thatcher Tony Blair pays only lip service to the professionalism of our armed forces. He has cut them so that they are barely able to fulfil their role, their time with their families is reduced to an unacceptable degree and they are obliged to operate in operational zones constrained by political correctness, equal opportunity and human rights. It is too bad that he cannot convince our enemies to adopt the same rules.
- Martin Fielding, London. England
God bless you Maggie. What a pity there are no politicians today worthy to walk the ground you do. There will be plenty of lefties who disagree, but you cannot fault this extraordinary Lady for her patriotism and defending the best interest of the UK. Please exit the country at the earliest opportunity Blair, Brown, Mandelson etc.
- James, Essex
