Margaret Thatcher's daughter Carol thanks well-wishers ahead of funeral

Carol Thatcher outside the family's Belgravia residence, suported by brother Mark, back left (AFP/Getty Images)

Margaret Thatcher’s daughter Carol has thanked well-wishers for their sympathy and support ahead of her mother’s funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday, saying she was prepared for a “tough and tearful week, even for the daughter of the Iron Lady”.

The 59-year-old journalist and reality TV star made a heartfelt statement to reporters outside the family home in London’s Belgravia, five days after the former Prime Minister’s death.

“I would just like to say that I feel like anyone else who has just lost a second parent,” she said.

“It's a deeply sad and rather thought-provoking moment in life.

“My mother once said to me: ‘Carol, I think my place in history is assured.’

“The magnificent tributes this week, the wonderful words of President Obama, and others of colleagues who once worked alongside her, have proved her right.”

Wearing a black shawl, black trousers and clutching a pair of sunglasses, the I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here winner thanked those who had sent her “messages of sympathy and support”, saying: “These have given me strength.”

She posed for photographers with her twin brother Sir Mark after giving her statement outside the Chester Square residence.

Carol Thatcher, who lives in Switzerland, returned to Britain last night to help with the preparations for Wednesday’s funeral service. She was accompanied by Marco Grass, who is thought to be her boyfriend.

It emerged earlier today that Margaret Thatcher left instructions for the Prime Minister to do a reading at her farewell service. There will also be a lesson from her 19-year-old granddaughter Amanda.