Margaret Thatcher: Mitt Romney hails former PM as 'tower of strength' She was not sufficiently well to join the Queen for a lunch with former and serving prime ministers as part of the Diamond Jubilee this summer and previously missed her own 85th birthday party thrown by Mr Cameron at 10 Downing Street. Her last public appearance was at another birthday party, in September last year, when she helped then defence secretary Liam Fox celebrate his 50th. A spokesman said she was "doing all right." Last month, the baroness was held up as an inspiration for future leaders of the People's Republic of China, with words attributed to her being used to train senior members of the Communist Party. At Shanghai's China Executive Leadership Academy, one of the country's most elite Communist Party schools, the former prime minister's philosophy has found its way onto a "crisis management" course that also focuses on the 2011 UK riots. Professor Li Min, a lecturer at the institution, said when it came to crisis management Baroness Thatcher was a model of behaviour. Quoting the words attributed to Baroness Thatcher in Phyllida Lloyd's 2011 film "The Iron Lady" she said: "Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.