Robert Downey Junior and Margaret Thatcher
The London première of Iron Man 3 has been pushed back to make way for Margaret Thatcher's funeral.

The London premiere of Iron Man 3 has been pushed back to make room for Margaret Thatcher's send-off.

The Hollywood blockbuster was due to be unveiled at the Odeon Leicester Square on 17 April - the same day as the former prime minister's funeral - but studio bosses at Walt Disney have decided to reschedule the premiere to avoid a clash.

Leading man Robert Downey Jr and co-star Gwyneth Paltrow will walk the red carpet a day later than planned to avoid flooding central London with even more people.

The decision to change the date came after officials at Westminster Council voiced concerns that it would be a logistical nightmare hosting two big crowd-drawing events in the capital on the same day.

The cast of the movie were said to have been "most accommodating" about the new arrangements.

Over 2,000 guests have been invited to the funeral of Baroness Thatcher, who died on Monday at the age of 87.

Royalty and politicians from around the world, including Queen Elizabeth and President Barack Obama, will gather in the capital to remember the Iron Lady who died from a stroke.

The procession is expected to start in Westminster at the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft and end in St Paul's Cathedral, where the service will take place. TV broadcasting starts at 11am.

In Iron Man 3, which goes on general release in Britain on 26 April, Downey reprises his role as billionaire invnetor Tony Stark and his metallic alter ego to take on the villainous Mandarin.

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