The former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has been presented with a puzzle from her past. The DNA her daughter of Carol Thatcher shows that 24 percent of her genes are Middle Eastern. This Arab proportion is much higher than for most Brits. A bit of a surprise to the Thatcher family.

"Do I know if any of my great-grandfathers had any associations or came from the Middle East? I haven’t got a clue,” she told the Sunday Times. “I am now very curious.” It is not yet known if the Arab bloodline was inherited from her mother or from Denis Thatcher, her late father.

The DNA test, ironicly enough, was part of a new television series airing next month -- 100% English -- which examines the genetic origin of eight British figures who would expect to be of purely English ancestry. The show highlights the growing trend and interest in ancestral DNA testing.