Sir Mark has been out of the headlines since his arrest in South Africa in 2004 for his alleged involvement in a failed coup in Equatorial Guinea whilst Baronness Thatcher's granddaughter Amanda gave a reading from the King James Bible at the funeral service in St Paul's Cathedral.

So, what do we know about the members of the Thatcher family?

Sir Mark Thatcher: Son of Baroness Thatcher and Sir Denis Thatcher, twin brother of Carol. Born in 1953, he is perhaps best known for his arrest in South Africa in 2004 for his alleged involvement in an attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea. He left the UK in 1986 and currently lives in Spain. Sir Mark, 59, married 45-year-old Sarah Jane Russell at a register office in Gibraltar in 2008. The daughter of millionaire developer Terry Clemence and the sister-in-law of Lord Rothermere is substantially wealthy in her own right. He has two children, Amanda and Michael, by his first wife Diane Burgdorf.

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Carol Thatcher: Baroness Thatcher’s daughter, twin sister of Mark. The 59-year-old journalist and recent winner of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here lives in Switzerland. She was close to her father Sir Denis, who died in 2003. Her mother, she had written, doted on her brother Mark much more than her.

Amanda Thatcher: Baroness’s Thatcher’s teenage granddaughter who was thrust into the spotlight today, playing a key role in the former prime minister's funeral. The daughter of Mark Thatcher and his first wife Diane Burgdorf, 19-year-old Amanda was said to be a talented sportswoman at school, excelling as a runner, and was also voted “most likely to change the world” by her high school peers.

She is now studying at the University of Richmond in Virginia. Her biography on the Richmond Spiders website – the official athletics site of the University of Richmond - describes her as having graduated from Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas, where as a senior she won a district title in the 300m Hurdles, and qualified for the Texas Region II Finals. Amanda lives in Dallas, Texas with her mother Diane, Sir Mark's first wife.

Michael Thatcher: It was the birth of grandson Michael in 1989 that led to Baroness Thatcher uttering the now famous line “We have become a grandmother” outside 10 Downing Street. Michael studied chemistry at college and now works in a pharmacy. He lives with his mother and sister Amanda in Texas.

Sir Denis Thatcher: Baroness Thatcher’s husband of 52 years, Sir Denis died in 2003, aged 88. He was already a successful businessman when he met the young Conservative parliamentary candidate Margaret Roberts, who became his second wife in 1951. When his wife became leader of the opposition he retired from his job as an oil company executive, beginning a “second career” as his wife’s consort. He died in 2003 after a short illness, following heart surgery earlier that year. His death came as a heavy blow to Baroness Thatcher, and precipitated her gradual withdrawal from public life.