Grieving Mark Thatcher arrives back in Britain: Iron Lady's son visits his mother's house after return from Barbados

Sir Mark Thatcher visited his mother’s former home this morning, just hours after arriving back in Britain.


The 59-year-old flew back to London from his Barbados holiday last night.

He was only in the five-storey property in Belgravia, central London, for a few minutes before emerging smiling.


He arrived and left via a back door that opens onto the mews in Chester Square.

Wearing a black tie with white polka dots, he held a folder under his arm and although he smiled at the waiting media, he did not make a comment.

His twin sister Carol is also thought to be in the capital - the pair have not issued an official statement, and have asked for privacy as they mourn their mother.


Today it was reported Sir Mark's former wife and current wife will both be attending the funeral of his mother at her request.


First wife Diane Beckett, who lives in Dallas, Texas, will fly to London next week to attend the service.


Daughter-in-law, Sarah Thatcher, Sir Mark's second wife, will also be present.


It is believed Baroness Thatcher requested before she died that both her daughter-in-laws attend.

Mrs Beckett will be accompanied by the couple’s two children Michael, 24, and 19-year-old Amanda – Baroness Thatcher’s only grandchildren - and new husband James Beckett, a multi-millionaire sports publisher.

Mrs Beckett told The Telegraph: 'She led an incredible life, and she will be dearly missed.

My children and I are of course heartbroken, but we also have some wonderful memories.'


She said she did not want to make any further statement but added that her enduring memory for Baroness Thatcher would be an 'incredible respect for her legacy.'

It is believed Mrs Beckett had remained friends with Baroness Thatcher after her and Sir Mark's marriage broke down.

A close friend told the paper that there was never any animosity and that Lady Thatcher had always 'loved Diane'.




Margaret Thatcher with son Mark and wife Sarah on her 87th birthday today. The former PM is said to have requested that both of her son's wives attend her funeral



A close friend told the paper that there was never any animosity and that Lady Thatcher (left) had always 'loved Diane', Sir Mark's first wife (right)


Baroness Thatcher leaves The Guards Chapel following a memorial service for her late husband Sir Denis Thatcher, with daughter-in-law Diane, Mark Thatcher, granddaughter Amanda, Baroness Thatcher, grandson Michael and daughter Carol

Sir Mark lives in Spain with his second wife Sarah Jane Russell, whom he married in secret at a register office in Gibraltar, but he is said to have has made frequent visits, typically every four to six weeks, to see his mother in recent years.


Sarah is the sister-in-law of Viscount Rothermere, the former wife of Lord Francis Russell and the eldest daughter of Terry Clemence, a millionaire developer.


Baroness Margaret Thatcher at the age of 33, has time to play with her twin children Mark and Carol aged six, Both engrossed in their toy garage and motor cars in 1959

He was on holiday at a rented multi-million-pound villa in Barbados when he was informed.


The five-bedroom property overlooks the Caribbean Sea and is on the fringes of the exclusive Sandy Lane estate on the island’s scenic West Coast.


He and his wife, packed up and left early yesterday morning to fly to London.

A member of staff at the villa told the Daily Mail: ‘He is only as good as can be expected under the circumstances. It is very tough for him.


‘He has gone away now. He left very early and he was gone by the time we got to work. His wife went with him.’




In 2005, Sir Mark received a four-year suspended jail term and a £265,000 fine in South Africa, for his involvement in a plot to overthrow the president of the oil-rich African state of Equatorial Guinea.


Happier times: Margaret Thatcher with her son Mark outside her London home on her 87th birthday heading for a celebration lunch





Carol Thatcher with her mother. The daughter has left Switzerland so she can return for her mother's service

His conviction meant that Sir Mark could not enter the US to visit his children, whose mother was given custody in the divorce.

Michael Thatcher, is said to have been an accomplished American football player at high school, and went on to study at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

He has recently worked for a Republican-aligned political organisation that aims to 'educate and empower the Hispanic community with conservative values'.

Amanda Thatcher, who is said to be an excellent runner, and most closely resembles her father, enjoys baking and horse-riding and singing.


A family friend told The Telegraph they had loved their grandmother very much and had recently been to see her.


'They’re grieving now, but they are also very moved by all the outpouring of emotion around the world.'



Happier times: Margaret Thatcher, takes a stroll through the grounds of Scotney Castle in Kent, with her husband Denis, and their twins Mark and Carol, in photographed in March 1979

Carol Thatcher lives in Klosters, the upmarket ski resort in the Swiss Alps favoured by the Royals.

She left on Sunday morning – the day before her mother’s stroke – on a pre-planned trip, according to her partner, ski instructor Marco Grass.

A neighbour of their apartment, which has a traditional Swiss wooden balcony with stunning views, said Carol had caught a train at 10am to Zurich.

The neighbour added: ‘Everybody knew about Carol’s famous mother. The news is very sad.’

Carol’s whereabouts since then have been unknown, but she is said to have remained abroad until yesterday when she arrived in London.

The Thatcher siblings have courted controversy ever since their mother entered 10 Downing Street in 1979.


Lady Thatcher’s son first hit the headlines in 1982, the year of the Falklands War, when he went missing in the Sahara Desert for six days while competing in the Paris-Dakar rally. Carol abandoned Britain after being dropped as a correspondent on BBC1’s One Show for describing a tennis player as a ‘golliwog’ in 2009.

The Thatcher twins have largely stayed out of the public eye since moving abroad.

The statement released on Monday by Lord Bell to announce the death of the former Prime Minister was issued in the name of her two children.
However, they have kept a low profile since, and have not chosen to share publicly any personal tributes to Lady Thatcher