Nancy Reagan is 'heartbroken' over the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a close friend and kindred political spirit of her late husband, but is too frail to attend her funeral.
The former first lady, 91, has instead asked the chairman of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation to represent her at the London service Wednesday, her spokeswoman said.
'Mrs Reagan is heartbroken over Baroness Thatcher's death and would really like to be there in person to pay her respects,' the spokeswoman said.
All surviving presidents have been invited to the funeral as has former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, officials said.
Around 2,000 invitations are being sent out.
The Queen and Prince Philip broke with tradition by agreeing to attend the funeral.
The only other time a reigning monarch had attended the final farewell of a Prime Minister was in 1965, when the Queen joined the congregation for the funeral of Winston Churchill.
The extraordinary gesture delighted Lady Thatcher’s friends and allies disappointed that she would not be honoured with a full state funeral. No other members of the Royal Family will be present.
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