Mach-2 with Maggie

The British prime minister was on her way to Expo 86 in Vancouver in July 1986, and I was accompanying her with a group of lobby journalists as Reuters chief correspondent UK & Ireland. She spent a long time sitting on the arm rest opposite me chatting about current issues and gently bending my ear on her refusal to go along with sanctions on apartheid South Africa.

It was Maggie’s first trip on Concorde, and also mine. For me, it was certainly a memorable Concorde moment. ■