Mark Thatcher

Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet, was born on 15 August 1953 in Hammersmith, London. He is the son of Margaret Thatcher, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, and Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet. Thatcher has a twin sister named Carol Thatcher. His early life was spent in Chelsea, London, where he was born six weeks prematurely via Caesarean section. His mother was elected to Parliament in 1959, and Thatcher gained early public attention as a child featured in her first television interview at age six.

Thatcher was educated at Belmont School from age eight and later attended Harrow School, leaving in 1971 after passing three O Level examinations. He initially studied accountancy but did not pass his exams after three attempts. He engaged in various short-term work, including in Hong Kong, where he developed business connections primarily in the Middle East and motorsports. In 1977, he established Mark Thatcher Racing, which eventually faced financial difficulties.

In the early 1980s, Thatcher participated in the Paris-Dakar Rally, during which he went missing for six days in the Sahara Desert in January 1982. A large-scale search was launched, involving military aircraft and ground troops from Algeria. He was found off course in Algeria, and his experience was later recounted in his 2004 writings.

Thatcher’s business activities during the 1980s drew attention due to perceived conflicts of interest with his mother’s political career. In 1984, he was involved in representing the bid of the British company Cementation to build a university in Oman during a period when his mother was urging Omanis to purchase British products. He has been linked to the controversial Al-Yamamah arms deal, a large arms sale by British Aerospace to Saudi Arabia, with allegations of receiving commissions and purchasing property for him through offshore companies.

After relocating to Texas in the mid-1980s, Thatcher worked for Lotus Cars and British Car Auctions and founded Monteagle Marketing, which sold whisky and clothing. He spent time in Switzerland as a tax exile before moving to South Africa in the late 1990s. While there, he was investigated for allegedly operating loan sharking practices, offering unofficial small loans to police and military personnel, though charges were ultimately dropped. He also reportedly profited from aviation fuel contracts in Africa.

In 2003, following his father's death, Thatcher inherited the Thatcher baronetcy, becoming Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet. That year, he was arrested in South Africa in connection with the 2004 coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea. He pleaded guilty in January 2005 to breaching South African anti-mercenary legislation, admitting to funding and organizing logistics for the coup, under the mistaken belief that funds were intended for African aid purposes. He was fined R3,000,000 and received a four-year suspended prison sentence.

Thatcher has two children with his first wife, Diane Burgdorf, and married his second wife, Sarah-Jane Russell (née Clemence), in 2008. His estimated wealth, as of 2003, was approximately £60 million, much of it held in offshore accounts.

Following his father’s death, Thatcher inherited the Thatcher baronetcy, a hereditary title bestowed upon Sir Denis Thatcher in 1990, which was unusually created since 1964. His legal and business activities, including the 2004 coup involvement, have been subjects of media scrutiny and public record.