Shortly after moving into the British prime minister's official residence (10 Downing Street, London) with his wife (and new Prime Minister) Margaret, Denis Thatcher was presented with a tricky question by a wily reporter: "Who wears the pants in this house?"

"I do," Thatcher replied. "And I also wash and iron them."

["Near 10 Downing Street is a small tobacconist's shop which Mr Thatcher frequently patronises. Recently, he popped in for 10 Gold Leaf and was popping out again when a woman customer observed toher friend in loud, sympathetic tones: 'You'd think she'd give him enough for 40, so he wouldn't have to come in every day.'"]

["Mrs. Thatcher was adorable with Denis, her husband," Reagan's chief of protocol once declared, "but she started flirting with Reagan -- there was a little electricity there."]