Thatcher 'appalled' after Falklands flag is snubbed at Trooping the Colour

Lady Thatcher has told friends she is "appalled" at the Government's refusal to fly the Falklands flag at Trooping the Colour - despite a campaign for the islands to be given special recognition.

The military parade's organisers faced demands that the territory's flag should be raised alongside those of the Commonwealth to mark the 25th anniversary of victory in the South Atlantic.

Campaigners claimed that the Falklands had more right to be recognised than some Commonwealth states which have only very limited links to the British Crown.

In Horse Guards Parade, flying next to the Union Jack was the flag of Mozambique, the former Portuguese colony which only joined the mainly English-speaking Commonwealth in 1995.

The war-torn African nation's flag features the image of a Russian-made AK47 assault rifle with fixed bayonet.

By tradition, the flags of all 53 Commonwealth nations are flown at the parade but the standards of the few remaining British colonies such as the Falklands are not allowed.

Lady Thatcher made a rare public appearance at Trooping the Colour, the two-centuries-old pageant where the marching bands of the Household Division celebrate the Queen's official birthday.

A friend of the former Prime Minister revealed that, prior to the event, when told the Falkland Islands' ensign would not be flying but Mozambique would be represented, she replied: "That's appalling. They really should have made room for the Falklands this year. Perhaps they should have more flagpoles."

An MPs' petition last week called on the Government "to ensure that the flags of all Her Majesty's Realms and Territories are also flown in time for the ceremony".

Andrew Rosindell, the petition's author and Tory MP for Romford, said: "It is an ill-thought-out mess. The first priority should be given to countries and territories where the Queen is still head of state.

"And in particular, on this weekend of all weekends, the flag of the Falklands should be flown.

"It is mystifying why the flag of a country like Mozambique, which has no historic links to Britain, should be fluttering next to the Union Flag."

Labour MP Lindsay Hoyle agreed: "It is disgraceful that on the 25th anniversary of a conflict where hundreds of men paid the ultimate sacrifice, the flag of the Falklands should not be recognised."

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office told The Mail on Sunday that there was no tradition of flying the flags of overseas territories at Trooping the Colour.

She said: "In this context, the Union Flag also represents the British dependent territories."

The Falklands flag could not be more solidly British.

It is a traditional blue ensign with a coat of arms featuring the ship Desire, which discovered the islands in 1592, and a ram, representing the islands' important sheep industry.