Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev will not attend Baroness Thatcher's funeral due to health problems, his spokesman has said.
The 82-year-old, with whom the former PM worked closely at the end of the Cold War, was expected to be one of a number of global figures attending.
Downing Street said consultation over the funeral guest list was continuing.
But it has confirmed that Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will not be invited.
The Queen and Prince Philip are already confirmed for next Wednesday's ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral, London.
During her time in power Lady Thatcher struck up an unlikely alliance with Mikhail Gorbachev, the reforming Soviet president who oversaw the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Parliament recallFollowing her death on Monday, Mr Gorbachev paid tribute to Lady Thatcher as a "heavyweight politician and a striking person".
On Wednesday, MPs were recalled from their Easter break for a seven-hour Commons debate about Lady Thatcher.
PM David Cameron said she "overcame the great challenges of her age". Labour's Ed Miliband paid tribute but said he disagreed "with much of what she did".
Conservative MPs queued up in the Commons to pay their respects to Lady Thatcher, who was prime minister from 1979 to 1990, but about half of Labour's 256 MPs stayed away.
The Lords also held a debate on Lady Thatcher, with her former Cabinet ministers Lord Fowler and Lord Tebbit among those paying tribute.
The Guardian has reported that Commons Speaker John Bercow was taken aback by Mr Cameron's request to recall Parliament because he thought tributes could be paid on Monday, when MPs were due to return.
The paper reports that a lengthy wrangle ensued, with Mr Cameron enlisting the support of Mr Miliband to overcome opposition to the move.
Responding to the report, a Downing Street spokesman said: "Only government ministers can request the recall of the House, which the Speaker then decides on.
"The prime minister felt given the strength of feeling following Lady Thatcher's death it was appropriate to give the House an early opportunity to pay its respects."
Continue reading the main storyDiscussions between the prime minister and the Speaker are ongoing about whether Prime Minister's Questions, usually held at midday, will be cancelled next Wednesday to allow MPs to attend the funeral.
BBC political correspondent Louise Stewart said Speaker John Bercow could require MPs to attend the session later in the afternoon, rather than cancel it.
On his weekly radio phone-in on London's LBC, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said "having the knockabout Prime Minister's Questions" on the same day as a major ceremonial funeral "might feel a bit odd".
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has said "an administrative error" led to inaccurate guidance being issued to diplomatic staff in embassies around the world after it was reported they had been told to wear mourning clothes on the day of the funeral.
They were later told it was unnecessary.
Security concernsGuests who have said they will be attending the former Conservative leader's funeral include ex-Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, as well as FW de Klerk, the last president of apartheid South Africa.
The Queen has not attended the funeral of a British politician since that of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.
More than 700 armed forces personnel will line the route of the procession from Westminster to St Paul's, including three bands whose drums will be covered in black cloth.
A gun salute will be fired from the Tower of London and the coffin will be carried into St Paul's by service personnel from regiments and ships closely associated with the Falklands campaign.
The Metropolitan Police said it was working to ensure the day passed off safely, amid concerns that some people may use it as an opportunity to protest.
On the day of Lady Thatcher's death, there were small gatherings in various parts of the UK, notably in Glasgow, Bristol and London, with those taking part saying they were celebrating her death.
Met Commander Christine Jones urged anyone wishing to demonstrate at the funeral to talk to the police.
"The right to protest is one that must be upheld," she said.
"However, we will work to do that whilst balancing the rights of those who wish to pay their respects and those who wish to travel about London as usual."
Lady Thatcher, who won three successive general elections, died "peacefully" on Monday after suffering a stroke while staying at the Ritz hotel in central London.
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Westminster
The funeral procession will set out from the Palace of Westminster with Baroness Thatcher's body carried in a hearse for the first part of the journey. The coffin will be trasferred to a gun carriage at the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand.
Baroness Thatcher's body will lie overnight in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft which is found beneath St Stephen's Hall at the Palace of Westminster.
St Clement Danes
At the RAF Chapel at the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand, Baroness Thatcher's coffin will be borne in procession to St Paul's Cathedral on a gun carriage drawn by six horses of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
St Paul's Cathedral
There will be a Guard of Honour outside St Paul's as the coffin is transferred into the Cathedral by service personnel from regiments and ships closely associated with the Falklands campaign.
The ceremony in St Paul's Cathedral will be attended by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, family and friends of Baroness Thatcher, members of her cabinets and dignitaries from around the world.
Downing Street
The funeral passes Downing Street, which is found on the left of the route along Whitehall.
Baroness Thatcher was resident at Number 10 for more than ten years following her General Election victory in 1979.
Ceremonial procession
Once the procession leaves St Clement Danes, the route to St Paul's along Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill will be lined by more than 700 armed forces personnel from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, F Company Scots Guards, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, and the Royal Air Force.
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