Mark Thatcher
Encyclopedia
Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet (born 15 August 1953) is the son of Sir Denis Thatcher
and Baroness Thatcher
, the former British Prime Minister
, and twin brother of Carol Thatcher
. In addition to his prominence as the son of one of the world's best known politicians, Thatcher has attracted headlines for his early youthful playboy lifestyle, involvement in motorsports, business associations, and for the role he played in an attempted coup
in Equatorial Guinea
, for which role he was fined three million rand (approximately $
500,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence.
car dealer Theodore C. Burgdorf, on 14 February 1987 in Queen's Chapel of the Savoy
, London, England. They reportedly met at a party for D Magazine
, a Dallas lifestyle publication, while Thatcher was living in Texas as a representative of the luxury automotive company Lotus Cars
. The family moved to South Africa
, possibly to avoid bad publicity because of allegations against Mark Thatcher of racketeering that resulted in a £
4 million civil action in 1994. They have a son (who is heir apparent
to the baronetcy) and a daughter:
On 19 September 2005, the couple announced their intention to divorce. Burgdorf married American statistician and sports card millionaire James Beckett
in 2008.
In March 2008, Tim Walker revealed in the Sunday Telegraph's Mandrake diary that Thatcher had secretly married Sarah Jane, Lady Francis Russell. She is the ex-wife of Lord Francis Russell (a younger son of John Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford
), the daughter of Terence J. Clemence and a sister of The Viscountess Rothermere
. During his marriage to Burgdorf, Thatcher had had an affair
with Russell, about which Burgdorf had confronted her.
, Thatcher, his French co-driver, Anne-Charlotte Verney
, and their mechanic went missing in the Sahara Desert for six days. On 9 January 1982, the trio became separated from a convoy of vehicles after they stopped to make repairs to a faulty steering arm. They were declared missing on 12 January; after a large-scale search, a C-130 Hercules
search plane from the Algerian military
spotted the white Peugeot 504
some 50 km off course on 14 January. Thatcher, Verney and the mechanic were all unharmed.
Before competing he said:
About the Paris-Dakar of 1982 Mark Thatcher wrote:
Thatcher also competed, with little success but less notoriety, on the circuits in Sports 2000
, Thundersports
and eventually graduated to the European Touring Car Championship
with semi-works BMW
s.
In 1998 South African authorities investigated his firm for running loan shark
operations. A company owned by Thatcher offered unofficial small loans to hundreds of police officers, military personnel and civil servants. Those who defaulted were pursued by debt collectors and charged 20% interest rates, according to the Star of Johannesburg. According to The Daily Telegraph
of 26 August 2004, "In 1998, he was at the centre of a scandal after he lent huge sums of money at exorbitant interest rates to more than 900 local police officers and civil servants in Cape Town
. He admitted lending the cash but insisted that he had done nothing wrong. He is also thought to have profited from contracts to supply aviation fuel in various African countries."
Other widely reported Thatcher embarrassments include allegations of U.S. tax evasion (a criminal case was eventually dropped) and a racketeering case in Texas which was settled out of court. The Sunday Times, quoting "city sources", said he had amassed a personal fortune of £60m, the majority of which is in offshore accounts
, attributed to shrewd investments and a series of "astute deals in Africa".
, Cape Town
, South Africa. He was charged later that day with contravening two sections of South Africa's "Foreign Military Assistance Act", which bans South African residents from taking part in any foreign military
activity. The charges related to "possible funding and logistical assistance in relation to [an] attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea
" organized by Thatcher's friend, Simon Mann
. He was released on bail
of 2 million rand and spent a period of time under house arrest
, but was bailed to London to live with his widowed mother while his wife and children moved to the family's home in Dallas, Texas.
On 24 November 2004, the Cape Town High Court
upheld a subpoena
from the South African Justice Ministry that required him to answer under oath questions from Equatorial Guinea
n authorities regarding the alleged coup attempt. He was due to face questioning on 25 November 2004, regarding offences under the South African Foreign Military Assistance Act; however, these proceedings were later postponed until 8 April 2005. Ultimately, following a process of plea bargain
ing, Thatcher pleaded guilty to negligence in investing in an aircraft "without taking proper investigations into what it would be used for". Thatcher admitted in court that he had paid the money, but said he was under the impression it was going to be invested in an air ambulance service to help the impoverished of Africa. This explanation was not believed by the judge and he was fined three million rand (approximately $500,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence
.
On 3 April 2005, Thatcher, then living with his mother in Belgravia
, London announced that his family home would be in Europe after he was refused a residence visa to live in the United States as a result of his guilty plea in the Equatorial Guinea affair. His children, he stated, will be educated in the United States.
Under the headline "Mark Thatcher — undesirable in Monaco
?" French newspaper Le Figaro
reported on 20 December 2005:
In Equatorial Guinea in June 2008, Simon Mann claimed during his trial testimony that Thatcher, now resident in Spain, "was not just an investor, he came completely on board and became a part of the management team" of the coup plot.
. He inherited the Thatcher baronetcy
on the death of his father, Sir Denis, in 2003. The baronetcy, created in 1991 for Sir Denis, was the first (and so far only) baronetcy created since 1964. It was not the first honour to be granted to a spouse of a British Prime Minister: the wives of both Benjamin Disraeli and Sir Winston Churchill
were made peeresses in their own right, although the former excited controversy at the time.
Denis Thatcher
Major Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet, MBE, TD was a British businessman, and the husband of the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. He was born in Lewisham, London, the elder child of a New Zealand-born British businessman, Thomas Herbert Thatcher, and his wife Kathleen, née Bird...
and Baroness Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, the former British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, and twin brother of Carol Thatcher
Carol Thatcher
Carol Thatcher is a British journalist, author and media personality. She is the daughter of Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, a former British Prime Minister, and Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt....
. In addition to his prominence as the son of one of the world's best known politicians, Thatcher has attracted headlines for his early youthful playboy lifestyle, involvement in motorsports, business associations, and for the role he played in an attempted coup
2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt
The 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt, also known as the Wonga coup, was an alleged coup attempt against the government of Equatorial Guinea in order to replace President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo with exiled opposition politician Severo Moto, carried out by mercenaries and organised...
in Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
, for which role he was fined three million rand (approximately $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
500,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence.
Personal life
Thatcher married Diane Burgdorf, the conservative Lutheran daughter of the millionaire TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
car dealer Theodore C. Burgdorf, on 14 February 1987 in Queen's Chapel of the Savoy
Savoy Chapel
The Savoy Chapel or the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy is a chapel off the Strand, London, dedicated to St John the Baptist. It was originally built in the medieval era off the main church of the Savoy Palace...
, London, England. They reportedly met at a party for D Magazine
D Magazine
This article is about the magazine about Dallas. For the Italian magazine, see La Repubblica.D Magazine is a monthly magazine covering Dallas-Fort Worth. It covers a range of topics including politics, business, food, fashion and lifestyle in the city of Dallas. The first issue was published in...
, a Dallas lifestyle publication, while Thatcher was living in Texas as a representative of the luxury automotive company Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
. The family moved to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, possibly to avoid bad publicity because of allegations against Mark Thatcher of racketeering that resulted in a £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
4 million civil action in 1994. They have a son (who is heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the baronetcy) and a daughter:
- Michael Thatcher (born 28 February 1989)
- Amanda Margaret Thatcher (born 1993)
On 19 September 2005, the couple announced their intention to divorce. Burgdorf married American statistician and sports card millionaire James Beckett
James Beckett
James Beckett is a statistician, author, editor, and publisher. His publications are well known in the hobby of sports card collecting.Beckett earned a Ph.D. degree in statistics at Southern Methodist University in 1975 and then joined the faculty of Bowling Green State University as an Associate...
in 2008.
In March 2008, Tim Walker revealed in the Sunday Telegraph's Mandrake diary that Thatcher had secretly married Sarah Jane, Lady Francis Russell. She is the ex-wife of Lord Francis Russell (a younger son of John Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford
John Ian Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford was a British peer and writer, the son of Hastings Russell, 12th Duke of Bedford. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1985.- Biography :...
), the daughter of Terence J. Clemence and a sister of The Viscountess Rothermere
Viscount Rothermere
Viscount Rothermere, of Hemsted in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for the press lord Harold Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth. He had already been created a Baronet, of Horsey in the County of Norfolk, on 14 July 1910, and Baron...
. During his marriage to Burgdorf, Thatcher had had an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
with Russell, about which Burgdorf had confronted her.
Motorsport career
In 1982, while competing in the Paris-Dakar rallyDakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation...
, Thatcher, his French co-driver, Anne-Charlotte Verney
Anne-Charlotte Verney
Anne-Charlotte Verney is a French racing and rally driver. She competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for ten straight years from to , achieving a best finish of sixth in . She also participated in the Dakar Rally, co-driving with Mark Thatcher, son of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher...
, and their mechanic went missing in the Sahara Desert for six days. On 9 January 1982, the trio became separated from a convoy of vehicles after they stopped to make repairs to a faulty steering arm. They were declared missing on 12 January; after a large-scale search, a C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
search plane from the Algerian military
Military of Algeria
The People’s National Army is the armed forces of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. Algeria has a large and reasonably well-equipped military to counter foreign and domestic threats...
spotted the white Peugeot 504
Peugeot 504
The Peugeot 504 is a large family car manufactured by French automaker Peugeot between 1968 and 1983, with licensed production continuing until 2006.-1968 — introduction:...
some 50 km off course on 14 January. Thatcher, Verney and the mechanic were all unharmed.
Before competing he said:
- "I've now raced in Le Mans and other things - this rally is no problem".
- "I did absolutely no preparation. Nothing.".
About the Paris-Dakar of 1982 Mark Thatcher wrote:
- "So The Boss (the prime minister) does entirely the right thing, picks up the phone to the ambassador in Algiers and says, "Can you find out what is going on?" The ambassador then rings the prefect of the region who says there are four people missing and that I am one of them."
- "We stopped. The others stopped too, took a note of where we were and went on. But the silly bastards - instead of telling everyone we were 25 miles east when they finished the section, they told them we were 25 miles west."
- "The biggest story of 1982 was the Falklands war. The second biggest also involved my mother... and me."
Thatcher also competed, with little success but less notoriety, on the circuits in Sports 2000
Sports 2000
Sports 2000 is a restricted-rules class of two-seat, rear-engined, open-cockpit, full-bodied sports-prototype racecar used largely in amateur road racing. Sometimes known as S2000 or S2, the class was developed by John Webb, then of the Brands Hatch racing circuit in England, as an affordable form...
, Thundersports
Thundersports
Thundersports was a variety of sports car racing introduced by John Webb of Brands Hatch fame.Webb saw it as a replacement for the Aurora AFX Formula One championship as a spectacular class that could headline national-level meetings, and a partner for the Thundersaloons series for...
and eventually graduated to the European Touring Car Championship
European Touring Car Championship
The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004...
with semi-works BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
s.
Business life
Thatcher was later employed in the jewellery business. His business dealings at the time that his mother was the Prime Minister were the subject of much press attention.In 1998 South African authorities investigated his firm for running loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
operations. A company owned by Thatcher offered unofficial small loans to hundreds of police officers, military personnel and civil servants. Those who defaulted were pursued by debt collectors and charged 20% interest rates, according to the Star of Johannesburg. According to The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
of 26 August 2004, "In 1998, he was at the centre of a scandal after he lent huge sums of money at exorbitant interest rates to more than 900 local police officers and civil servants in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. He admitted lending the cash but insisted that he had done nothing wrong. He is also thought to have profited from contracts to supply aviation fuel in various African countries."
Other widely reported Thatcher embarrassments include allegations of U.S. tax evasion (a criminal case was eventually dropped) and a racketeering case in Texas which was settled out of court. The Sunday Times, quoting "city sources", said he had amassed a personal fortune of £60m, the majority of which is in offshore accounts
Offshore bank
An offshore bank is a bank located outside the country of residence of the depositor, typically in a low tax jurisdiction that provides financial and legal advantages. These advantages typically include:...
, attributed to shrewd investments and a series of "astute deals in Africa".
Equatorial Guinea coup
On 25 August 2004, Thatcher was arrested at home in ConstantiaConstantia, Cape Town
Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of the Constantiaberg mountain. Constantia Nek is a low pass linking to Hout Bay in the west.-History:Constantia is...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa. He was charged later that day with contravening two sections of South Africa's "Foreign Military Assistance Act", which bans South African residents from taking part in any foreign military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
activity. The charges related to "possible funding and logistical assistance in relation to [an] attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea
2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt
The 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt, also known as the Wonga coup, was an alleged coup attempt against the government of Equatorial Guinea in order to replace President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo with exiled opposition politician Severo Moto, carried out by mercenaries and organised...
" organized by Thatcher's friend, Simon Mann
Simon Mann
Simon Francis Mann is a British mercenary and former British Army officer. He had been serving a 34-year prison sentence in Equatorial Guinea for his role in a failed coup d'état in 2004, before receiving a presidential pardon on humanitarian grounds on 2 November 2009.Mann was extradited from...
. He was released on bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
of 2 million rand and spent a period of time under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
, but was bailed to London to live with his widowed mother while his wife and children moved to the family's home in Dallas, Texas.
On 24 November 2004, the Cape Town High Court
High Court of South Africa
The High Courts are superior courts of law in South Africa. The courts were created in 1996 on the adoption of the Constitution of South Africa, and inherited the jurisdiction of the provincial and local divisions of the former Supreme Court of South Africa...
upheld a subpoena
Subpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
from the South African Justice Ministry that required him to answer under oath questions from Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
n authorities regarding the alleged coup attempt. He was due to face questioning on 25 November 2004, regarding offences under the South African Foreign Military Assistance Act; however, these proceedings were later postponed until 8 April 2005. Ultimately, following a process of plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
ing, Thatcher pleaded guilty to negligence in investing in an aircraft "without taking proper investigations into what it would be used for". Thatcher admitted in court that he had paid the money, but said he was under the impression it was going to be invested in an air ambulance service to help the impoverished of Africa. This explanation was not believed by the judge and he was fined three million rand (approximately $500,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
.
On 3 April 2005, Thatcher, then living with his mother in Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
, London announced that his family home would be in Europe after he was refused a residence visa to live in the United States as a result of his guilty plea in the Equatorial Guinea affair. His children, he stated, will be educated in the United States.
Under the headline "Mark Thatcher — undesirable in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
?" French newspaper Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
reported on 20 December 2005:
- "Margaret Thatcher's son, the former British prime minister's nefarious offspring, will not be installing himself in the principality of Monaco as he hoped." A spokesman for Prince Albert II of MonacoAlbert II, Prince of MonacoAlbert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He is the son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Grace Kelly...
told Le Figaro that Thatcher's residency card would not be renewed. "He has a temporary residency card valid for one year. It will not be renewed when it expires in the second half of 2006 and he will have to leave." The spokesman, Armand Deus, added: "I cannot say why it will not be renewed. But the Prince made things very clear during his investiture in July when he said that ethics will be at the centre of life in Monaco."
In Equatorial Guinea in June 2008, Simon Mann claimed during his trial testimony that Thatcher, now resident in Spain, "was not just an investor, he came completely on board and became a part of the management team" of the coup plot.
Titles and styles
Thatcher is entitled the usage of the pre-nominal style 'The Honourable' following the elevation of his mother, Margaret Thatcher, to the peerage as a baroness in 1992; he shares this courtesy with his twin sister, The Hon. Carol ThatcherCarol Thatcher
Carol Thatcher is a British journalist, author and media personality. She is the daughter of Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, a former British Prime Minister, and Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt....
. He inherited the Thatcher baronetcy
Thatcher Baronets
The Thatcher Baronetcy, of Scotney in the County of Kent, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 7 December 1990 for the businessman Denis Thatcher, the husband of Margaret Thatcher, Conservative Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. His wife was created a life peer as...
on the death of his father, Sir Denis, in 2003. The baronetcy, created in 1991 for Sir Denis, was the first (and so far only) baronetcy created since 1964. It was not the first honour to be granted to a spouse of a British Prime Minister: the wives of both Benjamin Disraeli and Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
were made peeresses in their own right, although the former excited controversy at the time.
Timeline of titles
- Mark Thatcher Esq. (15 August 1953–26 June 1992)
- The Hon. Mark Thatcher (26 June 1992 –26 June 2003)
- The Hon. Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Bt (26 June 2003–)
External links
- "Telegraph" news story: "Richest member of a famous family and its most accident-prone"
- Guardian news story: "Mark Thatcher arrested in South Africa"
- Guardian news story: "Out of Arms Way" – additional details on the Al YamamahAl YamamahAl Yamamah is the name of a series of a record arms sales by the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, which have been paid for by the delivery of up to of crude oil per day to the UK government. The prime contractor has been BAE Systems and its predecessor British Aerospace...
situation - Diane Thatcher's account of her marriage to Mark Thatcher
- Profile of Sarah Russell, Mark Thatcher's second wife
Profiles
- The Guardian: "Profile: Sir Mark Thatcher. Playboy-turned-businessman dogged by rumours of financial impropriety"
- Guardian profile: "'Scratcher', the millionaire fixer"
- Independent profile: "Sir Mark Thatcher: How 'the charmless Mark' pocketed a fortune trading on his mother's name"
- The Times profile: "The son and heir who made Iron Lady unbend"
- The Scotsman profile: "In trouble again, mummy's boy always in her shadow"
- BBC profile
- Mail on Sunday article
- "A sunny place for shady people but Monaco doesn't want Mark Thatcher", Kim Willshire, The Guardian 21 December 2005.