A right royal mess-up as Margaret Thatcher was referred to as ‘HRH’ during a visit to Kuwait
- Margaret Thatcher was mistakenly elevated to ‘Her Royal Highness’ abroad
- The incident occurred during a private visit to Kuwait in 1998
- The Crown Prince gave a dinner at which the menus written in English described her as ‘HRH Baroness Lady Thatcher’
Margaret Thatcher was mistakenly elevated to ‘Her Royal Highness’ during a private visit to Kuwait in 1998, a file reveals.
A memo from Sir Graham Boyce, then UK Ambassador to Kuwait, tells how the Crown Prince gave a dinner at which the menus written in English described her as ‘HRH Baroness Lady Thatcher’.
He wrote: ‘It was striking… how eager even the most worldly Kuwaitis were to meet Lady Thatcher – and to have their photographs taken in her company.’
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Kuwaiti Minister of the Royal Court Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Sabah attend a garden party at the British embassy in Kuwait. Margaret Thatcher was mistakenly elevated to ‘Her Royal Highness’ during a private visit to Kuwait in 1998, a file reveals
Baroness Thatcher was prime minister in 1990 when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded oil-rich Kuwait and she sent British troops to help the US-led response.
During the 1998 three-day visit with her husband Sir Denis she also visited families of Kuwaitis who went missing in the Gulf War.
The memo said: ‘Although the visit, organised by oil company LASMO, was private, it was inevitable that the Kuwaitis would give Lady Thatcher as much, if not greater, attention than that accorded to former US Presidents.’
In his summary of the visit, Sir Graham wrote: ‘Kuwaitis push the boat out. Helpful and timely boost to our profile. Well received statements on prisoners.’
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