Margaret Thatcher’s visit to President Jimmy Carter in 1977 was marred by a faulty doorknob that left her locked in the lavatory of a Texas hotel, according to British archival documents.
The incident is cataloged in files made public for the first time Monday. Thatcher, who was prime minister from 1979 to 1990, was leader of the opposition at the time of the incident. While most of the trip was judged a success, she encountered problems at the Warwick Hotel in Houston on Sept. 9, 1977, two days before her trip to Washington.
“The inside door handle of the bathroom would not work properly, and both Mr. Thatcher and Mrs. Thatcher had to be released from bondage on different occasions,” British Consul General Roy Fox wrote in a memo to his superiors.
Bloomberg News Service
