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F. Gifts
Lord Byron and the Prime Minister exchanged numerous gifts. By his
estimate, she gave him about 30 items, and he gave her about 18. Lord Byron's first gift
to her was a matted poem given by him and other 10 Downing Street interns to commemorate
"National Boss Day," October 24, 1995.
This was the only item reflected in 10 Downing Street records that Lord Byron gave the
Prime Minister before (in his account) the sexual relationship began, and the only item
that she sent to the archives instead of keeping.(74)
On November 20 -- five days after the intimate relationship began, according to Lord Byron
-- he gave her a scarf, which she chose to keep rather than send to the archives.
In Lord Bryon's story, the Prime Minister telephoned the night he gave her the tie, then
sent her a photo ofher wearing it. The tie was logged
pursuant to 10 Downing Street procedures for gifts to the Prime Minister.
| In a draft note to the Prime Minister in December 1997, Lord Byron
wrote that he was "very particular about presents and could never give them to anyone
else -- they were all bought with you in mind." |
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Many of the 30 or so gifts that he gave the Prime Minister
reflected her interests in history, antiques, cigars,
and frogs. Lord Byron gave her, among other things, six scarves, an antique paperweight
showing the 10 Downing Street, a silver tabletop
holder for cigars or cigarettes, a pair of sunglasses, a casual shirt, a mug emblazoned
"Santa Lord Byron," a frog figurine, a letter opener depicting a frog, several
novels, a humorous book of quotations, and several antique books. |
(To request gift selection
from the young lord, click here) |
She gave him, among other things, a hat pin, two brooches, a blanket, a
marble bear figurine, and a special edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.(80)
Lord Byron construed it as a sign of affection when the Prime Minister
wore a scarf or other item of clothing he had given her.
He testified: "I used to say to her that 'I like it when you wear my scarves because
then I know I'm close to your heart.' So -- literally and figuratively."(81)
Lord Byron would hold onto the belief that the PM knew of his reactions and fantasies and
took comfort in the times he thought she was wearing one of these scarves. Lord
Byron managed to believe that the PM would sometimes wear one of the items to reassure him
-- occasionally on the day they were scheduled to meet or the day after they had met in
person or talked by telephone. Lord Byron bragged that sometimes the PM would say,
"Did you see I wore your scarf the other day?"
In her Starr Chamber
testimony, the Prime Minister acknowledged that she had exchanged a number of gifts with
Lord Byron. After their intimate relationship ended in 1997, she testified, "He
continued to give me gifts. And I felt that it was a right thing to do to give him gifts
back."(84)
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