Westcountry guests at Baroness Thatcher's ceremonial funeral have heaped praise on the St Paul's Cathedral service.
In the presence of the Queen and dignitaries from around the world, the United Kingdom's first female Prime Minister was given full military honours as the coffin bearing her body was brought to the cathedral in procession, through streets lined with mourners, on a gun carriage drawn by six black horses.
Geoffrey Cox, Conservative MP for Torridge and West Devon, said Lady Thatcher was the most remarkable Prime Minister of modern times" and the service "did justice to the size of her achievements".
Some voiced anger at the reported £10 million cost of the ceremonial funeral - though ministers insisted today that the final bill would be "much, much less".
But Mr Cox said: "This was an extraordinary woman – a woman of extraordinary character. I sensed today there was a degree of consensus, a rejoicing that Britain has produced a person of this spirt and this magnitude. The honour accorded to her was justified."
Tory backbencher Oliver Colvile, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: "I thought it could be summed up in one word: Britannia.
"There was a real sense of here was a woman who helped us through some very difficult times and was certainly responsible for helping this country."
Falklands veteran Lieutenant Colonel Peter Cameron, from Tavistock in Devon, was also among the guests.
The former Royal Marine recalled an encounter with Lady Thatcher 25 years after the conflict as he spoke of his support for the divisive prime minister.
"I had a lovely moment with her at RAF Waddington (in Lincolnshire) when she was quite frail and we were watching a display," he said.
"She was on my arm for 10 minutes and afterwards she said 'That was fun'.
"And I said 'It was fun, Lady Thatcher, but when it's for real, it's slightly different."
Lt Col Cameron, who commanded an air squadron of 18 light helicopters during the Falklands conflict and was later awarded the Military Cross, added: "She had the backbone to send us there in the first place and she had the resolve.
"When I met the first Falkland islander, I realised that we had done the right thing, despite the fact that I had three helicopters down and lost four blokes."
The veteran added: "I never stop thinking about them but they didn't die in vain."
Although the event was not the state funeral received by Sir Winston Churchill, it was conducted with more pomp and ceremony than any seen in London since the death of the Queen Mother in 2002.
At St Paul's, a congregation of more than 2,300 guests heard the Bishop of London Richard Chartres pay tribute to Lady Thatcher's "perseverance in struggle and courage".
Among those present were more than 30 members of the Iron Lady's cabinets from 1979-90, including Lord Heseltine and Lord Howe, whose challenges to her leadership triggered her removal from power.
Every member of the current Cabinet attended, led by Prime Minister David Cameron, who gave a reading from the Gospel of St John. A clearly moved Chancellor George Osborne appeared to wipe tears from his eyes during the ceremony.
Lady Thatcher's coffin, placed beneath the dome of St Paul's, was draped in a Union flag and topped by a floral tribute of white roses bearing the handwritten note "Beloved Mother – Always in our Hearts" from her children Sir Mark and Carol Thatcher.
Walking ahead of the coffin as it entered the cathedral were Lady Thatcher's grandchildren Michael and Amanda, carrying cushions bearing her insignia of the Order of the Garter and Order of Merit. Amanda also gave a reading from the King James Bible.
The bishop deliberately steered clear of discussing the former Conservative leader's political legacy in his address, insisting that the funeral was "a place for ordinary human compassion of the kind that is reconciling... for the simple truths which transcend political debate".
But outside the cathedral, there were reminders of the bitter divisions of the Thatcher years as protesters joined mourners along the route.
