Mark Thatcher from birth was only the son of the "Iron Lady". During his lifetime, he dabbled in jewelry, entrepreneurship, lobbying, auto racing, and a coup d'état in Equatorial Guinea. How successful were his plans, what is the role of Margaret Thatcher in them, can be found in the article.
Short biography
Mark Thatcher was born with his twin sister Carroll on 1953-15-08. Due to complications of Margaret Thatcher, doctors performed a caesarean section. The father of the family, Dennis Thatcher, learned about the incident the next day.
Childhood and adolescence
By the age of nine, young Mark Thatcher was assigned to a prestigious private school - Harrow. During the years of training, he was remembered for being one of the stupidest students. Classmates made fun of him in every possible way, inventing various offensive nicknames for him.
In 1971, at the age of eighteen, the young man graduated from high school. He barely managed to get a certificate of education. His knowledge was not enough to enter the university. This fact was extremely unpleasant for his mother, who already held the post of minister ineducation and science.
He tried different possibilities to make a difference in life:
- took accounting courses three times (failed);
- opened a jewelry business (the market was in decline);
- manufacture of carts for supermarkets (did not arouse interest among entrepreneurs);
- opening an international consulting firm.
Car driver career
The young man tried his hand not only in business. One day he got the idea to participate in races, namely in the Paris-Dakar rally. The idea ended rather badly.
Mark Thatcher (racing driver) was unable to complete the race, getting lost in the Sahara. Mother and father organized a large-scale campaign to find their son. Because of the incident, Margaret Thatcher was seen crying for the only time.
The press followed the search closely and were extremely disappointed with Mark's behavior. The fact is that at the time of his rescue, he did not shake hands with his own father and did not thank the rescue team from Algeria. The rescued only muttered to everyone that he was glad to see everyone in good he alth.
This act led the media to look for an excuse to tell the public about the inappropriate behavior of the Prime Minister's son. For example, once he brought a flight attendant to tears just because she asked his name. He very often rudely answered not only ordinary people, but also journalists.
Entrepreneurship
Mark Thatcher, whose biography is presented, could only do one thing. He learned to use what he haddirect relationship with the prime minister of the country. This was his main source of income.
The son of the Iron Lady decided to become a lobbyist and set up an international consulting firm. She made several successful deals, on which Mark earned a millionth fortune. However, detractors confidently stated that the deals would not have been successful without the direct intervention of the British Prime Minister.
An example is the deal to build a hospital and a university in Oman. For them, the lobbyist received huge commissions. Contract negotiations were taking place in Oman at the same time that Margaret Thatcher was visiting.
Another scandalous deal occurred in 1986, when a British company signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia for the supply of aircraft. The son of the prime minister again received large commissions.
In these cases, political machinations were seen on the part of the prime minister, who acted not in the interests of the country, but in order to improve the well-being of her son. Parliamentary commissions were created, which did not reveal anything illegal.
Mark's career changed after Margaret Thatcher's election defeat.
Marital status
Mark Thatcher was married twice in 1987 and in 2005. From his first marriage he has children Michael and Amanda.
Spouses:
- Diana Bergdorf (American).
- Sarah-Jane Russell.
He met his first wife when he left the UK after a scandal withdeal in Oman. An enterprising man began to promote a car brand in Texas and met Diana, who was the daughter of a local businessman. The young family lived in the USA, Switzerland, South Africa.
Conspirator
In South Africa, Thatcher Mark was originally a fairly well-known personality. Because of scandals in the lobbying business, he and his whole family moved to Africa before the parliamentary elections. The issue of the prime minister's place, in which Margaret Thatcher took part, was being decided. Despite the fact that the scandalous son was not in the UK, his statements were constantly published in the British media. It was not in favor of the mother, who lost the election.
During the first time in a new country, Mark was quiet. He did not engage in major transactions, spending more time at social events. He was last in England for his father's funeral in 2003.
Living in a prestigious part of Cape Town, the Thatcher family communicated with rather eminent neighbors, among whom were:
- Nelson Mandella - anti-apartheid fighter;
- Desmond Tutu - Archbishop;
- Mark Rich is a scandalous billionaire;
- Vito Palazzolo is a mobster put on the wanted list by Italy and the United States;
- Count Spencer is the brother of the deceased Princess Diana.
This did not save his person from scandals. The newly minted sir was detained by South African special forces, accusing him of conspiracy, the purpose of which was to overthrow the government of a state friendly to South Africa - Equatorial Guinea. It all started with the arrest in 2004year at the airport in Zimbabwe, an aircraft carrying weapons and mercenaries, led by British military Simon Mann. The investigation saw the possibility of Thatcher's communion in the coup attempt.
He was facing fifteen years in prison. Mark's mother could not stand aside and, returning from a trip to the United States to London, she took up saving her son. She managed to secure his release from custody by posting bail.
The defendant pleaded not guilty, but in 2005 a South African court sentenced him to a suspended sentence and a fine.
Barony
Mark Thatcher was not born into a simple family. It's not just about the mother, who was the seventy-first Prime Minister of Great Britain. Mark's father was a fairly successful businessman. In addition, in 1990 he was granted a knightly title of baronet, which was inherited.
In 2003, Sir Denis Thatcher died and his title passed to his only son Mark. Thus, he became the second baronet.
The Thatcher movie
At one time, the television film "Margaret" was created, which tells about the "Iron Lady" and her surroundings. Thatcher Mark, whose photo is presented in the article, is embodied by the game of Oliver Le Sure.
The film was directed by James Kent and was released in 2009. He reveals the events of 1990, when the issue of the premier's place for the "Iron Lady" was being decided.
The last adaptation about Margaret is the 2011 film The Iron Lady.
