George Osborne wiped away a tear as the Bishop of London addressed Margaret Thatcher's funeral service in St Paul's on Wednesday morning.
The Right Reverend Richard Chartres said despite the political arguments over the former prime minister's legacy in the past week, the funeral was "neither the time nor the place" to carry on the arguments.
"After the storm of a life led in the heat of political controversy, there is a great calm," he said.
"The storm of conflicting opinions centres on the Mrs Thatcher who became a symbolic figure - even an ism. Today the remains of the real Margaret Hilda Thatcher are here at her funeral service."
Chartres went on: "Lying here, she is one of us, subject to the common destiny of all human beings. There is an important place for debating policies and legacy; for assessing the impact of political decisions on the everyday lives of individuals and communities.
"Parliament held a frank debate last week - but here and today is neither the time nor the place."
"At such a time, the parson should not aspire to the judgments which are proper to the politician; instead this is a place for ordinary human compassion of the kind that is reconciling.
He added: "It is also the place for the simple truths which transcend political debate. Above all it is the place for hope."
Leading politicians including David Cameron, Osborne, former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, as well as members of Thatcher's cabinets listened from the pews as Chartres spoke.
Leading up to the service, Cameron paid tribute to the iconic Tory leader, claiming: "We are all Thaterchites now."
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