At the age of 93 years, 120 days, Reagan was the longest-lived U.S. president in history at the time of his death, a record which has since been surpassed by Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter.

"[7] Various U.S. flags at the White House, across the United States, and around the world over official U.S. installations and operating locations, were ordered to be flown at half-staff for 30 days in a presidential proclamation by President Bush.

[10] Martin advised Governor General Adrienne Clarkson to order all flags across Canada and at all Canadian diplomatic missions in the United States flown to half-staff on the 11th as well, in sympathy with the U.S.'s National Day of Mourning.

[16] It was carried by a military honor guard representing all branches of the United States Armed Forces[17] into the lobby of the library to lie in repose.

It was removed from the plane, driven by hearse in a procession through the Maryland and Virginia suburbs and the nation's capital, across the Arlington Memorial Bridge, and onto Constitution Avenue.

[25] Near the Ellipse, and within sight of the White House, the hearse halted and Reagan's body was transferred to a horse-drawn caisson for the procession down Constitution Avenue to Capitol Hill.

[26] The caisson paused at 4th Street and Constitution Avenue, where 21 F-15s from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, flew over in missing man formation.

The caisson stopped when it arrived at Capitol Hill; military units removed the casket, and "Hail to the Chief" was played amidst a 21-gun salute.

During a visit from Thatcher, the former Prime Minister wrote in the Blair House condolence book, "To Ronnie, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

A military honor guard entered and carried it down the west steps of the Capitol to a 21-gun salute where Nancy, holding her hand over her heart, met it.

The dignitaries included more than 40 past and present heads of state and government, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi.

[36] Prodi, Blair, Schröder, Berlusconi, Putin, Karzai, King Abdullah, Erdogan, al-Yawer, Mbeki and many others had been at the G8 summit in Sea Island, Georgia, and later decided to extend their stay in the U.S. to attend the funeral.

In view of her failing mental faculties following several small strokes, the message had been pre-recorded several months earlier and was broadcast throughout the Cathedral on plasma television screens.

"[44] Following Thatcher's eulogy, Mulroney delivered his, ending with: "In the presence of his beloved and indispensable Nancy, his children, his family, his friends and all of the American people that he so deeply revered, I say au revoir today to a gifted leader and historic president and a gracious human being.

"[44] The Armed Forces Chorus (LTC John Clanton, Conductor) then sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick, Catholic Archbishop of Washington, delivered a Bible reading from the Gospel of Matthew.

[44] The celebrant, former Missouri Senator the Reverend John Danforth, delivered the homily[46] and Irish tenor Ronan Tynan sang songs such as "Ave Maria" and "Amazing Grace" at the request of Nancy Reagan.

The service drew 700 invited guests, including former Reagan administration officials such as George P. Shultz, and noted dignitaries; Margaret Thatcher, who traveled on the plane from Washington, sat next to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger[50] and his wife, Maria Shriver; former California Governor Pete Wilson was in attendance, as well as former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

[48] Hollywood actors and other celebrities also attended, including Mr. Reagan's first wife, actress Jane Wyman, their granddaughter Margaret, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, Mickey Rooney, Dolores Hope (widow of Bob Hope), Merv Griffin, Tommy Lasorda, Wayne Gretzky, Scott Baio, Bo Derek, Tom Selleck, Pat Sajak, Wayne Newton, and the Sinatra family.

[52] Eulogies finished, and the service over, the Air Force Band of the Golden West played four "ruffles and flourishes", and the U.S. Army Chorus sang "The Star-Spangled Banner".

[48] She laid her head down on the casket, before breaking down and crying; The Washington Post described Nancy as having been "stoic through nearly a week of somber rituals" but she "surrendered to her grief after being handed the flag that had covered her husband's coffin.

The exterior of the horseshoe-shaped monument is inscribed with a quote Ronald Reagan delivered in 1991:[50]I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and there is purpose and worth to each and every life.

Delegations in attendance included: Eminent persons and envoys from Hong Kong, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and others were also present, along with more than 200 diplomats and ambassadors.

Many celebrities attended the event, such as the Sinatra family, TV personality Merv Griffin, and Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak.

Music played during the week-long events included four ruffles and flourishes, "Hail to the Chief", "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", "Amazing Grace", "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" (also known as "The Navy Hymn"), "God of Our Fathers", "Mansions of the Lord", "God Bless America", "America the Beautiful", "Going Home", and "On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss" by David Holsinger.

[56] Attorney General John Ashcroft told a Senate hearing before the funeral: "It is a sad commentary when the observation of a memorial service for a former president of the United States must be labeled a National Special Security Event.

[59] The deadliest act of terrorism against the United States before 9/11 happened during the Reagan years with the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 189 Americans.

In one noted example, Paul Mays, a retired engineer who never thought much of Reagan's politics, witnessed the motorcade leave the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base; he commented "This is history".

[61] Frank Dubois, an American University professor, also was there for the motorcade, though of the laudatory praise he remarked, "[Reagan] hurt the environment; there was double-digit inflation.

Richard Goldstein of The Village Voice criticized the funeral for its careful orchestration, writing: "Because the networks had so long to plan for this production... this was the most precisely mounted news event in modern times.

"[66] Howard Kurtz, The Washington Post's media columnist, said Reagan was "a far more controversial figure in his time than the largely gushing obits on television would suggest.