Reagan's centenary to be marked with London statue

Margaret Thatcher is "determined" to attend the grand unveiling of a statue of Ronald Reagan in London on July 4 despite having been too unwell to make the royal wedding.

At least 2,000 people will crowd into Grosvenor Square to celebrate the centenary of the former US president's birth, culminating a week of commemorations around Europe.

Baroness Thatcher will be among the guests of honour. She once called President Reagan "the second most important man in my life" when they forged a powerful alliance against the Soviet empire during the Cold War.

The 10-foot bronze will stand opposite a statue of Second World War commander Dwight D Eisenhower, which was unveiled by Lady Thatcher in 1989. A quotation from the ex-premier has been chosen for the Portland stone plinth of the Reagan statue. It reads: "Ronald Reagan won the Cold War without firing a shot."

Tributes from Pope John Paul II and Lech Walesa, the Solidarity union leader who became president of Poland, will also adorn the plinth, along with a piece of the Berlin Wall whose fall marked the end of the Cold War in 1989.