The burial of Mrs Thatcher in London last week was one of those displays of pageantry that the British do so well.
But not many people realised that at its heart there was a woman of Jamaican origin — the Rev Rose Hudson Wilkin. This female priest is chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons.
In this role she led the prayers at Mrs Thatcher's funeral service in the splendour of the historic St Paul's Cathedral. She was there alongside the bishop of London and the leaders of the major faith groups in Britain. The faith leaders included the senior Roman Catholic archbishop and the president of the Methodist conference.
But leading the prayers at the funeral service was not the most interesting aspect of her role at the funeral. In the past, the bodies of leading British politicians had stated overnight in a funeral parlour the night before the service. But Mrs Thatcher specified that her body should stay overnight in the chapel of the House of Commons.
This underground chapel is called the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. So Mrs Thatcher's Union Jack-draped coffin was brought there on Monday night. And the Rev Rose Hudson Wilkin stayed up all night keeping vigil over the coffin.
So, whilst she cannot claim to be the last person to have spent time with the coffin, she certainly spent more time with it than anyone else in the final 48 hours before Mrs Thatcher's burial.
The Reverend Rose Hudson Wilkin was born in Montego Bay, St James, Jamaica. She grew up in the church, getting involved in the whole range of church activity including Bible-reading and organising the services. She was just 14 when she realised she had a calling to serve her God.
First, she joined the Church Army in Jamaica. Then she travelled to Britain in 1979 to train at the Church Army College in the West Midlands.
Finally, in 1994 she was ordained as a priest. This was the first year when women became priests in the Church of England. Initially she met with some suspicion from some of her parishioners. But she overcame that and is now a well-loved vicar in my own constituency of Hackney in East London.
But in recent years, she has begun to climb up the church hierarchy. In 2008, she was appointed as one of the chaplains to the Queen. So she is now one of the 36 priests who take turns to officiate or preach at the Queen's private chapel.
In 2010 she was appointed Chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons. This has been the height of her career so far. Unfortunately, it was marred by unpleasantness. Traditionally the speaker's chaplain is shared by the dean of Westminster Abbey. But the dean flatly refused to appoint her, so the speaker went ahead with his half of the appointment.
A white male was appointed by the dean of Westminster and this man serves in Westminster Abbey and lives in the splendid house that comes along with the job. Meanwhile, the uncomplaining Reverend Hudson Wilkin travels in from Hackney every day to lead the House of Commons in prayer.
But part of her job is also conducting services in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. So it was in that role that she kept vigil over Mrs Thatcher's coffin all night on Monday. Apart from security, she would have been alone with the coffin and one can only guess what thoughts went through the Reverend's mind.
Certainly Mrs Thatcher herself could never have guessed that she would have spent her last night on earth, before burial, alone with a black female priest from Jamaica.
The Church of England is still debating whether to appoint female bishops. If they do, there is little doubt that the Reverend Hudson Wilkin will be seriously considered. But whatever heights she has still to conquer, nothing will be as remarkable as the night the girl from Montego Bay spent alone with the coffin of a woman who was once one of the most powerful political leaders in the world.
— Diane Abbott is a British Labour party MP and spokeswoman on public health
www.dianeabbott.org.uk
The ceremony was extremely expensive. By some estimates it cost £10 million. And it had a distinctly martial feel, involving as it did all branches of the armed services.
HUDSON WILKIN… appointed Chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons in 2010
LONDON, England — An overhead view of the coffin of former former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as it is being carried out of St Paul’s Cathedral, followed by the late former Prime Minister’s family, family, in London last Wednesday. (PHOTO: AP)
    HUDSON WILKIN… appointed Chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons in 2010 #slideshowtoggler, #slideshowtoggler a, #slideshowtoggler img {filter:none !important;zoom:normal !important}  1/2  |
In this role she led the prayers at Mrs Thatcher's funeral service in the splendour of the historic St Paul's Cathedral. She was there alongside the bishop of London and the leaders of the major faith groups in Britain. The faith leaders included the senior Roman Catholic archbishop and the president of the Methodist conference.
But leading the prayers at the funeral service was not the most interesting aspect of her role at the funeral. In the past, the bodies of leading British politicians had stated overnight in a funeral parlour the night before the service. But Mrs Thatcher specified that her body should stay overnight in the chapel of the House of Commons.
This underground chapel is called the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. So Mrs Thatcher's Union Jack-draped coffin was brought there on Monday night. And the Rev Rose Hudson Wilkin stayed up all night keeping vigil over the coffin.
So, whilst she cannot claim to be the last person to have spent time with the coffin, she certainly spent more time with it than anyone else in the final 48 hours before Mrs Thatcher's burial.
The Reverend Rose Hudson Wilkin was born in Montego Bay, St James, Jamaica. She grew up in the church, getting involved in the whole range of church activity including Bible-reading and organising the services. She was just 14 when she realised she had a calling to serve her God.
First, she joined the Church Army in Jamaica. Then she travelled to Britain in 1979 to train at the Church Army College in the West Midlands.
Finally, in 1994 she was ordained as a priest. This was the first year when women became priests in the Church of England. Initially she met with some suspicion from some of her parishioners. But she overcame that and is now a well-loved vicar in my own constituency of Hackney in East London.
But in recent years, she has begun to climb up the church hierarchy. In 2008, she was appointed as one of the chaplains to the Queen. So she is now one of the 36 priests who take turns to officiate or preach at the Queen's private chapel.
In 2010 she was appointed Chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons. This has been the height of her career so far. Unfortunately, it was marred by unpleasantness. Traditionally the speaker's chaplain is shared by the dean of Westminster Abbey. But the dean flatly refused to appoint her, so the speaker went ahead with his half of the appointment.
A white male was appointed by the dean of Westminster and this man serves in Westminster Abbey and lives in the splendid house that comes along with the job. Meanwhile, the uncomplaining Reverend Hudson Wilkin travels in from Hackney every day to lead the House of Commons in prayer.
But part of her job is also conducting services in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. So it was in that role that she kept vigil over Mrs Thatcher's coffin all night on Monday. Apart from security, she would have been alone with the coffin and one can only guess what thoughts went through the Reverend's mind.
Certainly Mrs Thatcher herself could never have guessed that she would have spent her last night on earth, before burial, alone with a black female priest from Jamaica.
The Church of England is still debating whether to appoint female bishops. If they do, there is little doubt that the Reverend Hudson Wilkin will be seriously considered. But whatever heights she has still to conquer, nothing will be as remarkable as the night the girl from Montego Bay spent alone with the coffin of a woman who was once one of the most powerful political leaders in the world.
— Diane Abbott is a British Labour party MP and spokeswoman on public health
www.dianeabbott.org.uk