Ronald Reagan Statue Unveiled in London

A 10-foot bronze statue of former President Ronald Reagan to commemorate 100 years since his birth has been unveiled in London, the Independent newspaper reports.

Reagan Presidential Library

Oct. 11: 1982: President Reagan at a rally for Texas Republican Candidates in Irving, Texas.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined British Foreign Secretary William Hague in paying tribute to Reagan Monday at the U.S. Embassy in London.

"It is a great honor for me personally to take part in a ceremony for a man who changed the political landscape at the time I first became involved in it," Hague said.

"Statues bring us to face to face with our heroes long after they are gone.”

Rice represented the late president's widow Nancy Reagan at the ceremony, which coincided with America’s Independence Day celebrations.

Hague added that Reagan's great political ally, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, could not attend the ceremony, the paper reported.

Hague said: "She has asked me to say these words to you: Ronald Reagan was a great president and a great man -- a true leader for our times. He held clear principles and acted upon them with purpose.

"Through his strength and his conviction he brought millions of people to freedom as the Iron Curtain finally came down.

"It was a pleasure to be his colleague and his friend, and I hope that this statue will be a reminder to future generations of the debt we owe him."

According to the paper, the statue of Reagan was commissioned as part of a year of celebrations to mark what would have been the 100th birthday of the former U.S. president.

It will stand alongside existing statues of other illustrious American presidents such as Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin D Roosevelt.