These are the little puppies that brought a smile to Lady Thatcher's face just hours before she died.
The dogs belong to her close friend Lady Carla Powell and the video was shown to the former prime minister by Lord Charles Powell, one of her trusted advisers and one of the last people to see her alive.
Lady Thatcher would often visit Lady Carla's home in Italy spending days picking cherries in the sunshine and playing with the menagerie of animals that roam around the rambling farmhouse.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
The short, minute long video was
posted by Lady Carla on to her Facebook page, and shows the litter of
Dachshund puppies playing on a white sheet on the floor of Lady Carla's
home at Tivoli on the outskirts of Rome - her husband Lord Powell's feet
can be seen as he sits on a sofa trying to control one of the playful
brown dogs.
Along with the video Lady Carla wrote a poignant tribute to her friend of more than 30 years which read: 'This film of my puppies was shown to Lady Thatcher by my husband on Sunday night and brought her last smile.
'She died peacefully next morning. Charles was the last person to see her except her nurse. She used to come and spend some time with us in the Sabine Hills and she adored playing with my many animals, especially puppies and kittens.
'I shall miss her and can visualise her giving the All Mighty a hard time reorganising his set up in Heaven by privatising the cherubins.'
Baroness Thatcher's died on Monday inside her Ritz suite, where she spent the final months of her life.
Surrounded by the people who cared for her, the Iron Lady died 'peacefully' here following a stroke at 11.28am on Monday, as she sat up and quietly read.
Lady Thatcher, who had suffered a series of mini-strokes over the past decade, recognised the symptoms as she fell ill in the luxurious room, 'but this was the one that killed her', a friend said.
The suite, which would cost up to £3,660 a night, boasts 24 carat gold leaf and antique Louis XVI furnishings, and is the size of a small flat.
Speaking
from her home near Rome, Lady Carla added: 'Charles would often go and
see her. He would spend time talking with her and the last time he saw
he her showed the video of my darling puppies. One of them is called
Maggie. The film made her smile Charles told me and then she drifted off
to sleep.
'She would often be like that, going to sleep then waking up again, carrying on talking as is nothing had happened. Charles told me that he talked to her about the puppies and the other animals at my house here, our wonderful garden and the new pope.
'I'm not sure what she was able to take in but I think she found it comforting that she was with someone she knew and who was very close to her. I used to adore having her to stay here with me in Italy.
'We would pick cherries together
and I would drive her about on a little electric cart I have at the
house as sometimes she couldn't manage the walk. We had fun talking with
the animals and playing with them.
'Lady Thatcher adored animals and all of my mine are named after famous politicians - I've got a cross alsatian called Tony Blair and I even have a bossy goose called Margaret Thatcher who ended up killing one of the roosters.
'I once told Tony Blair when he came to stay that Margaret loved nuzzling his ears but of course I was talking about Margaret the goose and how he got on so well with Tony Blair the alsatian.'
Lady Carla, who is attending Lady Thatcher's funeral on Wednesday, said:'She was such a fighter and a determined woman. I can imagine her being bossy in Heaven, the country was fortunate to have her as a prime minister, we won't see anyone like her for a long time.'
The dogs belong to her close friend Lady Carla Powell and the video was shown to the former prime minister by Lord Charles Powell, one of her trusted advisers and one of the last people to see her alive.
Lady Thatcher would often visit Lady Carla's home in Italy spending days picking cherries in the sunshine and playing with the menagerie of animals that roam around the rambling farmhouse.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Moving: Baroness Thatcher watched the video of Lord and Lady Powell's puppies just before she died last week
Fun: Lady Thatcher was said to have laughed at
the video, which was shown to her by Lord Powell, whose feet are in the
top of the picture
Along with the video Lady Carla wrote a poignant tribute to her friend of more than 30 years which read: 'This film of my puppies was shown to Lady Thatcher by my husband on Sunday night and brought her last smile.
'She died peacefully next morning. Charles was the last person to see her except her nurse. She used to come and spend some time with us in the Sabine Hills and she adored playing with my many animals, especially puppies and kittens.
'I shall miss her and can visualise her giving the All Mighty a hard time reorganising his set up in Heaven by privatising the cherubins.'
Friends: Lord Powell is pictured with Baroness
Thatcher in March 2000. He served as her private secretary and was one
of the last people to see her before she died
Animal lover: Lady Carla Powell with her dog
Tony Blair, donkey Giuseppe and horse Sterlina at her Italian home,
where Lady Thatcher loved to visit
Surrounded by the people who cared for her, the Iron Lady died 'peacefully' here following a stroke at 11.28am on Monday, as she sat up and quietly read.
Lady Thatcher, who had suffered a series of mini-strokes over the past decade, recognised the symptoms as she fell ill in the luxurious room, 'but this was the one that killed her', a friend said.
The suite, which would cost up to £3,660 a night, boasts 24 carat gold leaf and antique Louis XVI furnishings, and is the size of a small flat.
Home from home: Mrs Thatcher 'adored playing
with my many animals, especially puppies and kittens' at Villa Carla
(pictured), Lady Powell said
'She would often be like that, going to sleep then waking up again, carrying on talking as is nothing had happened. Charles told me that he talked to her about the puppies and the other animals at my house here, our wonderful garden and the new pope.
'I'm not sure what she was able to take in but I think she found it comforting that she was with someone she knew and who was very close to her. I used to adore having her to stay here with me in Italy.
Room: Lady Thatcher had been staying in this
suite at the Ritz in Central London, where she had been living since
Christmas as she recovered from an operation, and this is where she
watched the puppy video
'Lady Thatcher adored animals and all of my mine are named after famous politicians - I've got a cross alsatian called Tony Blair and I even have a bossy goose called Margaret Thatcher who ended up killing one of the roosters.
'I once told Tony Blair when he came to stay that Margaret loved nuzzling his ears but of course I was talking about Margaret the goose and how he got on so well with Tony Blair the alsatian.'
Lady Carla, who is attending Lady Thatcher's funeral on Wednesday, said:'She was such a fighter and a determined woman. I can imagine her being bossy in Heaven, the country was fortunate to have her as a prime minister, we won't see anyone like her for a long time.'