Margaret Thatcher Funeral: Even in Death, Iron Lady is Still in Control

Displaying her steely will that earned her the tag Iron Lady, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is still in apparent control over her funeral. The baroness left details on how her final send-off would be as early as eight years ago.

Her specifications include the funeral song as well as who will do the reading.

The former prime minister's choice of song is definitely not the Wizard of Oz song, Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, but I Vow to Thee, My Country, the same hymn sung at the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana.

It is the same hymn, written by Cecil Spring-Rice, sung in the funeral of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and the princess's funeral. In both royal occasions, Prince William chose the song because it was his mum's favourite from school.

Other hymns personally picked by the Iron Lady are To Be A Pilgrim, Love Divine and All Loves Excelling.

The reading will be a poem by William Wordsworth to reflect her strong Christian faith. For the gospel reading, the baroness specified that the current prime minister regardless of his political party - in this case, David Cameron - would perform the task. It would include the passage from John 14:1.

The Iron Granddaughter, 19-year-old Amanda Thatcher, will read another passage from the King James Bible. Another reading would come from the Book of Common Prayer, which contains the verses, "Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live and is full of misery."

The funeral will be held at St Paul's Cathedral, while the wake would be held at the Parliament's Chapel of St Mary Undercrof from Tuesday evening.

The funeral guest list of 2,000 people, drawn up by her family and with advice from Whitehall, includes the Queen, all living former British prime ministers, all former U.S. presidents and a representative from former South African President Nelson Mandela, who is recovering from ailment.

Ahead of the funeral, authorities planned a multi-million-pound security operation to prevent disruption of the ceremony by protesters. Police officers will be deployed along the entire route, from Westminster to St Paul.

Ms Thatcher will be given full military honours and a royal funeral, but not a state funeral.

Carol Thatcher, the daughter of Ms Thatcher, quoted her mother that despite her being a controversial and divisive persona, her place in history is assured.

"The magnificent tributes this week, the wonderful words of President Obama, and others of colleagues who once worked alongside her, have proved her right," the younger Ms Thatcher was quoted by The Guardian.