Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher performed a deep curtsy each time she greeted the late Queen Elizabeth II, even in her later years, according to journalist Andrew Pierce. On the Reaction podcast, Pierce recalled Thatcher's 'deepest curtsy' at her 80th birthday party in October 2005, saying, 'The helicopter landed in Hyde Park, the Queen and Prince Philip arrived. Mrs Thatcher did the deepest curtsy you have ever seen, at the age of 80. I didn't think she would ever get up again.'
Thatcher had been photographed curtseying to the Queen on numerous occasions during her time in Downing Street and in subsequent years. At her 70th birthday party at Claridge's in 1995, she appeared to perform an even deeper curtsy than a decade later. Pierce noted that the Queen held Thatcher's hand as they entered the Mandarin Oriental together, describing the scene as 'lovely'.
Pierce argued that the Queen's attendance at Thatcher's birthday parties dispelled 'nonsense' rumours that the monarch disliked Thatcher. The late Queen rarely attended birthday parties of former political leaders. She also attended Thatcher's funeral in September 2013, breaking royal protocol that typically sees the monarch absent from non-royal funerals.
Queen Elizabeth II further demonstrated her respect by awarding Thatcher the Order of Merit, an honour bestowed on only 24 living individuals at any time.
