Baroness Thatcher says 'the Lady is not for returning" as she misses 85th birthday party
Baroness Thatcher apologised to David Cameron for cancelling her appearance at her birthday party at Downing Street saying "the lady is not for returning".
Baroness Thatcher is helped down some steps after the Pope's address in September Photo: PAUL ROGERS
Telegraph co. uk.,Published: 6:31AM BST 15 Oct 2010
She had been forced to pull out of celebrations to mark her 85th birthday after being taken ill with flu.
The party for 150 friends and former colleagues hosted by David Cameron went ahead without her and the prime minister read out an apologetic note to the gathering.
The message from Lady Thatcher said: "I am so disappointed not to be with you this evneing. But I hope that you will appreciate that on this particular occasion I have had to accept that the Lady is not for returning. Plese, please enjoy yourselves."
A fresh event will be put on when she has recovered.
A Downing Street spokesman said on Thursday: ''Lady Thatcher is unable to attend tonight's birthday party at No 10 after being taken ill with flu at home earlier today.
''At Lady Thatcher's insistence, the gathering will take place as planned in her absence and the Prime Minister will attend.
''Guests, who include previous members of her Cabinet, colleagues and friends, will be invited to return to celebrate her 85th birthday at No 10 once she has recovered.''
Lady Thatcher's planned return to Downing Street was announced by the Prime Minister at the Conservative Party conference last week, when he was cheered by delegates for hailing Lady Thatcher "the greatest peacetime prime minister of the 20th century".
He first invited her to Number 10, from where she governed Britain from 1979 to 1990, soon after he became Prime Minister earlier this year.
The one-time "Iron Lady", whose birthday was yesterday, also returned to see Mr Cameron's two Labour predecessors, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
On the advice of doctors, Lady Thatcher very rarely speaks in public now, but does still attend a number of high-profile functions.
In March 2008 the peer, who has previously suffered minor strokes, was taken ill during a dinner in Westminster and spent the night in hospital as a precaution.
She was given a clean bill of health by doctors after routine tests.
A fresh event will be put on when she has recovered.
A Downing Street spokesman said on Thursday: ''Lady Thatcher is unable to attend tonight's birthday party at No 10 after being taken ill with flu at home earlier today.
''At Lady Thatcher's insistence, the gathering will take place as planned in her absence and the Prime Minister will attend.
''Guests, who include previous members of her Cabinet, colleagues and friends, will be invited to return to celebrate her 85th birthday at No 10 once she has recovered.''
Lady Thatcher's planned return to Downing Street was announced by the Prime Minister at the Conservative Party conference last week, when he was cheered by delegates for hailing Lady Thatcher "the greatest peacetime prime minister of the 20th century".
He first invited her to Number 10, from where she governed Britain from 1979 to 1990, soon after he became Prime Minister earlier this year.
The one-time "Iron Lady", whose birthday was yesterday, also returned to see Mr Cameron's two Labour predecessors, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
On the advice of doctors, Lady Thatcher very rarely speaks in public now, but does still attend a number of high-profile functions.
In March 2008 the peer, who has previously suffered minor strokes, was taken ill during a dinner in Westminster and spent the night in hospital as a precaution.
She was given a clean bill of health by doctors after routine tests.
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