Thatcher's ashes interred at Royal Hospital Chelsea next to husband's grave in 'private' service

The ashes of former British Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher were reportedly interred in the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea in a service which was attended by her family and close friends.

A private service was held at a chapel in the hospital's Margaret Thatcher Infirmary, which she opened in 2009, in which prayers were said before a solid oak casket containing her ashes was placed in the ground next to the final resting place of her husband Sir Denis Thatcher.

According to the BBC, the service was attended by the former prime minister's children, Sir Mark and Carol Thatcher, adding that the chapel choir sang a traditional Maori song of goodbye in recognition of Thatcher's family connections with New Zealand.

Along with Thatcher's children, the small group of mourners also reportedly included Thatcher's personal assistant for more than 30 years, Cynthia Crawford; her former private secretary Lord Powell and her former political adviser Lord Bell.

The report mentioned that fourteen Chelsea Pensioners dressed in their distinctive scarlet coats formed a guard of honour as her ashes were carried from the chapel, adding that a headstone bearing the inscription 'Margaret Thatcher 1925 - 2013' is being erected on top of her grave.

The longest-serving prime minister of the 20th Century and also the country's first female prime minister, Thatcher, who died on April 8, had built up a strong relationship with the Royal Hospital Chelsea during the last years of her life, the report added.