Ronald Reagan statue unveiled in London

British Foreign Secretary William Hague and former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attended the ceremony, outside the US Embassy, which took place on 4 July, America’s Independence Day.

Ms Rice was there as the representative of Nancy Reagan, the late president’s widow. Baroness Thatcher, Ronald Reagan’s closest political ally on the international stage, could not be present.

In a speech at the unveiling, William Hague said: “Ronald Reagan is without question a great American hero – one of America’s finest sons and a giant of 20th century history.”

In her address, Condoleezza Rice spoke about the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. “The special relationship is, indeed, special,” she said.

Later today Ms Rice will give the keynote speech at a gala dinner at the Guildhall, in which she will return to the subject of US-UK relations and the relevance of the “freedom agenda” pursued by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher during the 1980s.

Ronald Reagan is without question a great American hero – one of America’s finest sons. William Hague, Foreign Secretary

The statue, by US artist Chas Fagan, was commissioned in 2009 by the Reagan Memorial Fund Trust. To acknowledge Mr Reagan’s role in ending the cold war, a piece of the Berlin Wall will be installed in front of the statue.

The trust’s Rob Bauer said: “President Reagan always referred to the United States’ special relationship with Great Britain, especially his personal friendship with Baroness Thatcher.

“The Reagan Foundation commissioned the statue to honour that partnership and to celebrate an enduring alliance.”

The monument will stand in Grosvenor Square alongside those of other eminent American presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin D Roosevelt.

Ronald Reagan died in 2004, aged 93, after serving as US president between 1981 and 1989.

Photo gallery: the Reagan years – click on the image below