Christie’s to auction Margaret Thatcher’s clothes, handbags

In this May 11, 1987 file photo, Britain's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher waves to members of the media on returning to No. 10 Downing Street from Buckingham Palace after a visit with Queen Elizabeth II. Christie’s is set to sell personal possessions of late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, including papers, mementoes, clothes _ and her iconic handbags. AP
In this May 11, 1987 file photo, Britain’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher waves to members of the media on returning to No. 10 Downing Street from Buckingham Palace after a visit with Queen Elizabeth II. Christie’s is set to sell personal possessions of late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, including papers, mementoes, clothes and her iconic handbags. AP

LONDON — Christie’s is set to sell personal possessions of the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, including papers, mementos, clothes — and her iconic handbags.

The auctioneer said Tuesday that 150 lots will go under the hammer Dec. 15 in London, with a further 200 sold by online auction.

The items include a red leather ministerial dispatch box, an award from Thatcher’s friend and ally President Ronald Reagan, her wedding outfit and an Art Deco emerald and diamond necklace by Chaumet.

Branded “the Iron Lady” for her steely determination, Thatcher governed Britain between 1979 and 1990, transforming the country with her free-market policies.

Her practice of berating ministers and lawmakers became known as “handbagging.”

Thatcher died in April 2013, aged 87, and the possessions are being sold by her family. TVJ

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