Maggie doesn't know who I am, says Archer Lord Archer is 'terribly sad' that Lady Thatcher does not recognise him now Archer gets weekly updates and says 'she's not well' Jeffrey Archer has revealed his sadness over the declining health of Margaret Thatcher, admitting that his long-term friend no longer recognises him. The author and former Tory MP, who served under Lady Thatcher when she was prime minister, said that the 87-year-old had been one of three "remarkable women" in his life alongside his mother Lola and wife Mary. But he says that her failing memory means she doesn't know who he is when they now meet. Suffering ill health: Former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street in 2010 "I still see her and get weekly updates - she's not well," he told Reader's Digest. Mary and I were among her closest friends; Margaret adored Mary. Now she doesn't even know who I am. So terribly sad. Archer was made deputy chairman of the Conservative Party by Lady Thatcher 1985, but was forced to resign the following year after a scandal in which it was revealed he had made payments to prostitute Monica Coghlan. He was later jailed in 2001 for two years for perverting the course of justice. However, he added: "As an MP, I obviously knew Margaret before she became prime minister. What drew me to her was conviction. If she believed something, she fought for it and followed it through. These days - the Tony Blairs and the David Camerons - it's all about focus groups. Firm friends: Lady Thatcher was close to Lord Archer, right, as seen at the 1986 Conservative Party conference in Bournemouth, but now she cannot remember him The focus groups say the mansion tax is a good thing. Then they'll say, "No, it's a bad thing." Margaret Thatcher didn't give a damn about focus groups! "When Margaret had an idea, she called me into her office and said, "Jeffrey, this is how it's going to be. Now, get out of my office and sell it to the country! Yes, prime minister; sorry for speaking, prime minister. Britain's first and only woman prime minister, Lady Thatcher won three consecutive general elections, but has been in fragile health since she suffered a series of minor strokes more than a decade ago. She now suffers acute short-term memory loss and is now rarely seen in public. In January she was admitted to hospital for minor surgery to remove a growth from her bladder, before spending time convalescing at the Ritz Hotel. The novelist has described Lady Thatcher as "a remarkable woman," alongside his wife Mary and his late mother Lola, a former local councillor in Weston-super-Mare. Popular portrayal: The film The Iron Lady from 2011, with Meryl Streep playing the lead, brought Lady Thatcher's time in power to life for a new generation of young people Talking about the death of his father William when he was 15, he said: "What's clear in my mind is the sadness of my mother and how she suddenly became this extremely powerful figure in my world. Life had knocked her down, but she was determined to get back up - that's probably where I get it from. My mother Lola was a formidable woman, way ahead of her time. She was a councillor, she wrote for the local paper and she'd written a novel. There have been three remarkable women in my life: my mother, my wife Mary and Margaret Thatcher. Archer has been married to his Chemist wife for 46 years. She was made a Dame last year for her services to the NHS and has battled bladder cancer. Family friends: Lady Thatcher, right, with Lady Archer, left, at the 1999 Conservative Party conference He added: "As people will know, our marriage has had its difficulties. What marriage doesn't? I suspect I'm not always the easiest man to live with, but Mary seems to cope with everything in that same calm and dignified way. "When she said, "For better or for worse; for richer, for poorer," she meant every word. I know there are a lot of people who were sure our marriage was going to fall apart when I got sent to prison. They don't know Mary! Is there a secret to getting over those difficult bits? We just enjoy each other's company. If I ever bored Mary, I'd totally understand if she divorced me! Reader's Digest April issue is in shops 19th March