Milan bids farewell to Berlusconi – what next for his billion-pound business and political empire?

Thousands turned out for the state funeral of a divisive former prime minister, writes Chris Stevenson. But what now for his businesses and the political party he crafted in his image?

The casket of former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi leaves Milan’s Duomo at the end of his state funeral on Wednesday (Stefano Porta/LaPresse via AP)

If there was any doubt just how much Silvio Berlusconi courted controversy and divided opinion, his state funeral in Milan offered a clear picture.

The casket containing the former prime minister was serenaded by some of the thousands who gathered outside Milan’s Duomo – fans of AC Milan football club carrying flags and scarves dedicated to their former owner – with the chant, “One president, there’s only one president” as it was carried both into and then out of the cathedral. Two giant video screens relayed the service to those in the square, while carabinieri in full ceremonial regalia stood guard, surrounded by floral wreaths.

Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who got her first government experience as a minister in a Berlusconi coalition, attended, along with League leader Matteo Salvini, whose party has long been allied with Berlusconi’s Forza Italia. President Sergio Mattarella and former premiers Matteo Renzi, Paolo Gentiloni and Mario Draghi were also present. The Hungarian president, Viktor Orban, and Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, were among the highest-ranking foreign dignitaries.