Berlusconi leaves Lady T in the lurch

Lady Thatcher (pictured) has received the most colossal snub from Silvio Berlusconi. The Italian Prime Minister had gladly accepted an invitation to meet the Iron Lady at a specially arranged dinner in Rome. However, on the night, he simply failed to turn up – not even bothering to ring to apologise.

Lady Thatcher had flown to Italy to spend three days with her former private secretary Lord (Charles) Powell and his Italian-born wife Carla at their estate at Palombara Sabina, just outside Rome. The highlight of the trip was a dinner held at the home of wealthy society philanthropists Marilu and Gaetano Rebecchini, at which she was guest of honour, and where she would have been seated next to Berlusconi. However, as Lady T and the 30 other guests were due to take their seats, it became apparent that Berlusconi would not be coming.

Says Lady Powell: "We were waiting and waiting, the clock was ticking and there was not one word from him or his diary secretary. It was the height of bad manners. At the very least, his office should have sent some flowers or some kind of apology. But there was no explanation." She adds: "It is shabby and I am livid, because what kind of message does it send out? It gives an extremely bad example. Berlusconi is the country's leader and his office should set the standards."

According to the Daily Mail, the host and hostess were deeply embarrassed, although Lady Powell did her best to cover up the snub. "I told her a little white lie and said that he had been unavoidably detained and had sent his apologies." What Lady T made of all this is unrecorded.