Argentine President Cristina Kirchner barred from Thatcher funeral after veto from Iron Lady's family over Falklands War



Baroness Thatcher's family block any representation from Argentina

Funeral will be dominated by regiments and units which secured victory in the South Atlantic in 1982

Details of who will attend Wednesday's ceremony are expected to be made public today

Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez Kirchner has been barred from attending Baroness Thatcher's funeral, 31 years after the Falklands conflict

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has been barred from Baroness Thatcher’s funeral.

However, the country's ambassador to Britain Alicia Castro has been invited, diplomatic sources revealed.

Details began to emerge today of the current and former world leaders invited to attend the service at St Paul’s Cathedral next Wednesday.

Celebrities invited include Jeremy Clarkson, Dam Shirley Bassey and Sir Terry Wogan.

But in an indication of the fraught diplomatic tensions over who to invite, President Kirchner has been vetoed.

After discussions with the Thatcher family it has been agreed to extend a formal invitation to the Argentine ambassador, in line with the protocol of inviting a representative from every country with whom Britain has diplomatic relations.

While most countries have been left to choose who their representative might be, Whitehall officials have made clear to Argentina that President Kirchner is not welcome after her recent attempts to reignite the struggle for control of the Falkland Islands.

Baroness Thatcher, who died on Monday aged 87, is to receive a war leader's send-off dominated by regiments and military units which played a crucial role in the 1982 conflict in the South Atlantic.

The former Premier's coffin will be carried into St Paul's Cathedral by those who fought to free the Falkland Islands.

Pall-bearers will be from the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force regiments who helped defeat Argentinian forces to liberate the South Atlantic islands in 1982, which was the Iron Lady's greatest moment in Downing Street.

With tensions over the islands still running high, Argentina’s President Kirchner has been blocked from next week's funeral.

A senior government source said: ‘It is being done by invitation and therefore we have some discretion. There is obviously the Falklands issue.



’In the case of Argentina we have obviously made clear that it is an invitation for the ambassador, they are not left to nominate.

'Lady Thatcher was always someone who believed in protocol and doing things properly and that was very much the feeling of the family.'

War leader's funeral: Baroness Thatcher will be carried into St Paul's by units linked to the Falklands War

Honoured: A British Royal Marine watches over captured Argentine soldiers following the Battle of Goose Green, during which Lieutenant Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones, 42, was fatally wounded. He would later be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his valiance

Final decisions about arrangements for the funeral are still being drawn up by the Whitehall committee - codenamed True Blue.

Sir Mark Thatcher, the former Premier's son, is expected to attend a meeting of the committee tomorrow.



But organisers have already made clear that the military will play a major part, with 700 armed forces personnel involved.

Among them will be Welsh Guards, the regiment who suffered the heaviest losses in the war, whose members will also form a guard of honour as her body is taken into the cathedral at 11am on Wednesday.

David Cameron told the Commons yesterday that Baroness Thatcher's funeral would be a fitting tribute to the late Premier

Paras who fought at Goose Green and took Port Stanley, Royal Marines who made the first landings on the islands and servicemen who flew to protect British troops or bomb Argentine targets will also take Lady Thatcher on her final journey.

David Cameron told the Commons yesterday: 'Her coffin will be draped with the flag that she loved, it will be placed on a gun carriage and taken to St Paul's Cathedral and members of all three services will line the route.

'In a week from now, as people gather in London to lay Margaret Thatcher to rest, the sun will be rising over the Falklands. And because of her courage, and the skill, bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces - it will rise again for freedom.'

Outside the cathedral when the gun carriage is drawn up there will be a guard of honour from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards together with the Welsh Guards band.

As her coffin is taken to the door of St Paul's, guns will be fired every minute from the Tower of London.



The Welsh Guards will be centre-stage next Wednesday as Britain says farewell to Mrs Thatcher.



32 of them were among 48 members of the British forces who died when troop ship Sir Galahad was bombed by the Argentines in May 1982 in Britain's worst loss of the war.

Simon Weston, who was badly wounded and left with 46 per cent burns in the incident, said his regiment's key involvement is 'very fitting'.



'It is an honour for the regiment – it was just chance that we were the unit on the spot when this came up, but it is very apt,'he said.



'This is a very sad time for me and for a lot of people in the regiment – when we had to go to war, she was there for us. Now we can be there for her.'

Margaret Thatcher stands proudly on Victory Green, Port Stanley, during her visit to mark the tenth anniversary of the Falklands War

The coffin will be drawn on gun carriage drawn by Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery from St Clement Danes to St Paul's.

The coffin will be borne into the cathedral by bearers particularly made up of all three services and will include current service personnel from those ships, units and regiments that were particularly noted for their service during the Falklands campaign.

There will be 10 tri-service personnel members bearing the coffin, drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, Scots Guards, Welsh Guards, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Parachute Regiments, Royal Ghurka Rifles and Royal Air Force.

The steps of St Paul's will be lined by Chelsea pensioners and 18 service personnel - 6 from Royal Navy and Royal Marines, 6 from Blues and Royals and 6 from RAF.



The route of the procession will be lined by personnel from the Navy, Marines, F Company Scots Guards, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and the RAF.



There will also be three bands along the route, one from the Royal Marines, one from the RAF and a band of Scots Guards and the household division. The drums of the bands will be covered in black cloth.

FALKLAND ISLANDS UNITS THAT WILL CARRY THE IRON LADY'S COFFIN

Welsh Guards

The Welsh Guards was the regiment that suffered some of the heaviest losses during the conflict.

On June 8, 32 Welsh Guards were among 48 British troops who died when the Sir Galahad was bombed by Argentine jets (above), and many suffered terrible burns.

Royal Navy/Royal Marines

The Royal Marines, along with the Parachute Regiment, were seen as the spearhead of the Task Force. After landing at San Carlos Bay, they fought at Mount Kent, Mount Harriet and Two Sisters before yomping into Port Stanley.

The Special Boat Service (SBS) also played a role, successfully attacking an important Argentinean position at Fanning Head that overlooked San Carlos Bay (below right).

Scots Guards

Scots Guards were involved in one of the Falklands fiercest battles, to take Mount Tumbledown, when British troops faced Argentine soldiers in a vicious fight using bayonets.

On the night of June 13, Scots Guards advanced up the western side of Mount Tumbledown, and the battle raged on all night, finally resulting in a British victory by 8am.

The Scots Guards suffered eight casualties, while one Royal Engineer was also killed, and 43 people wounded.

Royal Artillery

Part of 3 Commando brigade, which was part of the land forces, 29 Commando Regiment accompanied the Royal Marines, providing artillery support and gunnery observation, including much-needed support with their L118 Light Guns.

Royal Engineers

The Royal Engineers, commonly known as Sappers, provided combat support to troops in the Falklands, from minefield clearing to establishing water points and building bridges.

Sapper Hill, on East Falkland - named after a troop of sappers - was of huge strategic importance during the conflict. Parachute Regiment

The Parachute Regiment - 3 Para and 2 Para - were integrated into 3 Commando Brigade and joined the Naval Task Force.

The Paras fought some of the key battles of the war including coming ashore at San Carlos, in northwestern East Falklands, on May 21, 1982, securing a British stronghold by occupying the slopes of the Sussex Mountains.

In addition, 2 Para attacked the Argentine-held airfield at Goose Green, on East Falkland, on May 27, 1982, in a lengthy battle that ended with Argentinean surrender (below). Forty-two members of The Parachute Regiment and attached personnel were killed in action. Royal Gurkha Rifles

The 1st and 7th Gurkha Rifles (1/7 Gurkha) and the Queens Gurkha Signals left for the Falkland Islands in March 1982. They were later joined by the Queens Gurkha Engineers.

The Gurkhas were to provide support for the Scots Guards in a battle during the assault on Tumbledown. But when D Company, 1/7 GR, began their final attack, they found that the Argentinians had all fled.

The only Gurkha fatality occurred after the war was over, when Lance-Corporal Budhaparsad Limbu struck an unexploded grenade with his spade.

RAF

The Royal Air Force (RAF) operated from Wideawake Airfield, on Ascension Island, but flew into the war zone.

Some 17 squadrons operated during the conflict involving aircraft such as Harriers, Chinooks, Phantoms, Canberras, Vulcans, Hercules, Victors and Sea Kings. The RAF lost seven aircraft.



