Londoners have a 10-foot-tall sculpture of Ronald Reagan to call their own. Unveiled at its permanent home outside the American Embassy, the statue was constructed at a cost of $1 million, paid for by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation "as part of a worldwide effort to promote his legacy" in this, the 100th anniversary of his birth.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stood in for Nancy Reagan, while the other Iron Lady in his life, Margaret Thatcher, was absent due to failing health. British Foreign Secretary William Hague delivered the following sentiments on her behalf:

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

In the weeks leading up to this unveiling, other Reagan statues were erected in Krakow, Budapest and Prague — permanent reminders of the charismatic and thoroughly addled jellybean-addict who delivered them from evil. [Daily Mail, image via AP]