Margaret Thatcher Spends Christmas in Hospital

Britain's former prime minister Margaret Thatcher spent Christmas in hospital recovering from bladder surgery, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

There has been no change in Thatcher's condition since Sunday when the 87-year-old was said to be "in good spirits", the spokeswoman added.

The former premier, who led Britain from 1979 to 1990, was admitted to hospital on Thursday for a minor operation to remove a growth in her bladder.

The former Conservative Party leader remains the only woman premier in British history.

Public relations executive Tim Bell, who advised the "Iron Lady" for her three general election victories, said on Sunday that the surgery was "minimally invasive" and that her daughter Carol had been at her side.

Thatcher -- the 20th century's longest continuous occupant of 10 Downing Street -- suffers from dementia and has appeared increasingly rarely in public in recent years.

Her daughter once revealed that the former premier had to be repeatedly reminded that her husband Denis had died in 2003.

She was told by doctors to quit public speaking in 2002 after a series of minor strokes.