(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-08 14:31

LONDON -- Aging former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has been taken into hospital for medical checks in central London.

Britain's former prime minister Margaret Thatcher arrives for a service at Pangbourne College in Berkshire in this June 14, 2007 file photo. Thatcher was admitted to hospital on March 7, 2008 for "observation". [Agencis]

Thatcher, 82, who was said to be in a stable condition, is expected to spend the night at Saint Thomas' Hospital for observation, the hospital said Friday.

"We can confirm that Baroness Thatcher has been admitted to St Thomas' Hospital and is expected to remain in hospital overnight for observation," the hospital said in a statement.

"Her condition is stable and she is speaking to the medical staff who are caring for her," it said.

Thatcher, nicknamed "the Iron Lady," has often appeared at private occasions in recent years but makes few public statements. Doctors said in March 2002 she had suffered a series of strokes and ordered her not to address large audiences.

Thatcher, the first British leader to win three elections in a row, was prime minister from May 1979 until her resignation in November 1990. She was also Britain's first female prime minister.

During her premiership, Thatcher forced through sweeping changes, advocating individualism and the breakdown of Britain's class system.

She was a firm supporter of U.S. president Ronald Reagan during the Cold War.