List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to France
Encyclopedia
The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to France (French
: L'Ambassadeur britannique en France) is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in France, and is the head of the UK's diplomatic mission in Paris
. The official title is Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to France.
Traditionally, the Embassy to France has been the most prestigious posting in the British foreign service, although in past centuries diplomatic representation was often lacking due to wars between the two countries.
For the period before the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
in 1801, see List of ambassadors from the Kingdom of England to France (up to 1707) and List of ambassadors from Great Britain to France (from 1707 to 1800).
As of 2011, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to France is His Excellency
Sir Peter Westmacott
.
: L'Ambassadeur britannique en France) was the foremost diplomatic representative in France of the Kingdom of Great Britain
, created by the Treaty of Union
in 1707, in charge of the British diplomatic mission in France.
Traditionally, the Embassy to France was the most prestigious posting in the English and later British foreign services, although in the eighteenth century there was sometimes no diplomatic representation between the two countries, due to the wars between them.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: L'Ambassadeur britannique en France) is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in France, and is the head of the UK's diplomatic mission in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The official title is Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to France.
Traditionally, the Embassy to France has been the most prestigious posting in the British foreign service, although in past centuries diplomatic representation was often lacking due to wars between the two countries.
For the period before the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
in 1801, see List of ambassadors from the Kingdom of England to France (up to 1707) and List of ambassadors from Great Britain to France (from 1707 to 1800).
As of 2011, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to France is His Excellency
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state.Usually, people styled "Excellency" are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, aristocracy, and military, and others holding equivalent rank .It is...
Sir Peter Westmacott
Peter Westmacott
Sir Peter John Westmacott, KCMG, LVO is a senior British diplomat, currently serving as HM Ambassador to the French Republic....
.
British Ambassadors and Ministers to France
The Ambassador of Great Britain to France (FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: L'Ambassadeur britannique en France) was the foremost diplomatic representative in France of the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
, created by the Treaty of Union
Treaty of Union
The Treaty of Union is the name given to the agreement that led to the creation of the united kingdom of Great Britain, the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, which took effect on 1 May 1707...
in 1707, in charge of the British diplomatic mission in France.
Traditionally, the Embassy to France was the most prestigious posting in the English and later British foreign services, although in the eighteenth century there was sometimes no diplomatic representation between the two countries, due to the wars between them.
Ambassadors and Ministers of Great Britain to France
- No permanent representation of the Kingdom of Great Britain, or of its predecessor the Kingdom of EnglandKingdom of EnglandThe Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, to France between 1701 and 1712, due to the War of the Spanish SuccessionWar of the Spanish SuccessionThe War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
.- 1709: Charles Townshend, Viscount TownshendCharles Townshend, 2nd Viscount TownshendCharles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend Bt, KG, PC was a British Whig statesman. He served for a decade as Secretary of State, directing British foreign policy...
Plenipotentiary
- 1709: Charles Townshend, Viscount Townshend
- 1712: The Duke of Hamilton (Never took office, being killed in a duel before setting off.)
- 1712-1715: Matthew PriorMatthew PriorMatthew Prior was an English poet and diplomat.Prior was the son of a Nonconformist joiner at Wimborne Minster, East Dorset. His father moved to London, and sent him to Westminster School, under Dr. Busby. On his father's death, he left school, and was cared for by his uncle, a vintner in Channel...
, Plenipotentiary
- 1712-1715: Matthew Prior
- 1712-1713: The Duke of ShrewsburyCharles Talbot, 1st Duke of ShrewsburyCharles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, KG, PC was an English statesman. Born to Roman Catholic parents, he remained in that faith until 1679 when—during the time of the Popish Plot and following the advice of the divine John Tillotson—he converted to the Church of England...
- 1714-1720: The Earl of StairJohn Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of StairField Marshal John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair KT PC was a Scottish soldier and diplomat.-Military career:Despite being born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dalrymple spent his early life mostly in the Netherlands and he studied at Leiden University...
, Minister-Plenipotentiary 1714-1715; Envoy Extraordinary 1715; then Ambassador - 1720-1721: Sir Robert SuttonRobert Sutton (diplomat)Sir Robert Sutton KB was an English diplomat and then politician.-Early life:He was the elder son of Robert Sutton of Averham, Nottinghamshire, and his wife, Katherine, the daughter of the Revd William Sherborne of Pembridge, Herefordshire...
, Ambassador - 1721-1724: Sir Luke Schaub
- 1724-1730: The Lord Walpole of WoltertonHoratio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole of WoltertonHoratio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole, PC , English diplomatist, was a son of Robert Walpole of Houghton, Norfolk, and a younger brother of the Prime Minister of Great Britain Sir Robert Walpole....
Envoy Extraordinary 1724; Ambassador Extraordinary 1724-1727; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary 1727-1730 - 1730-1740: The Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 1st Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave KG PC was a British ambassador.Waldegrave was the son of the 1st Baron Waldegrave and Henrietta FitzJames, the illegitimate daughter of James II and Arabella Churchill....
- 1740-1744: Anthony Thompson, Chargé d'Affaires
- no representation 1744-1748 due to the War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian SuccessionThe War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
- 1749-1754: The Earl of Albemarle
- no representation 1754-1762 due to the Seven Years' WarSeven Years' WarThe Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
- 1761: Hans StanleyHans StanleyHans Stanley was a British diplomat and statesman.-Peace negotiator:In 1761 Stanley was Chargé d'affaires at the Embassy to France...
, Minister: special mission to negotatiate peace
- 1761: Hans Stanley
- 1762-1763: The Duke of BedfordJohn Russell, 4th Duke of BedfordJohn Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford KG, PC, FRS was an 18th century British statesman. He was the fourth son of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford, by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of John Howland of Streatham, Surrey...
- 1763-1765: The Earl of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford KG, PC, PC was a British courtier and politician.He was born in Chelsea, London the son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Lord Conway and Charlotte Shorter and died in Surrey, England...
- 1765-1766: The Duke of RichmondCharles Lennox, 3rd Duke of RichmondField Marshal Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 3rd Duke of Lennox, 3rd Duke of Aubigny, KG, PC, FRS , styled Earl of March until 1750, was a British politician and office holder noteworthy for his advanced views on the issue of parliamentary reform...
- 1766-1768: The Earl of RochfordWilliam Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of RochfordWilliam Henry Nassau, 4th Earl of Rochford, PC, KG was a British courtier, diplomat and statesman of Anglo-Dutch descent. He occupied senior ambassadorial posts at Madrid and Paris, and served as Secretary of State in both the Northern and Southern Departments...
- 1768-1772: The Earl HarcourtSimon Harcourt, 1st Earl HarcourtSimon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, PC, FRS, Viceroy of Ireland , known as 2nd Viscount Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, between 1727 and 1749, was a British diplomat and general....
- 1772-1778: The Viscount StormontDavid Murray, 2nd Earl of MansfieldDavid Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield KT, PC , known from 1748 to 1793 as The Viscount Stormont, was a British politician. He succeeded to both the Mansfield and Stormont lines of the Murray family, inheriting two titles and two fortunes.-Life:Mansfield was the son of David Murray, 6th Viscount of...
- no representation 1778-1782 due to American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
- 1782: Thomas GrenvilleThomas GrenvilleThomas Grenville PC was a British politician and bibliophile.-Background and education:Grenville was the second son of Prime Minister George Grenville and Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet...
, Minister - 1782-1783: Alleyne FitzherbertAlleyne Fitzherbert, 1st Baron St HelensAlleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens PC was a British diplomat and a friend of explorer George Vancouver, who named Mount St...
, Minister Plenipotentiary - 1783-1784: The Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 4th Duke of ManchesterGeorge Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester PC was a British politician and diplomat.Manchester was the son of Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester....
- 1784-1789: The Duke of Dorset
- 1790-1792: Earl Gower
- No representation after 1792, due to the French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary WarsThe French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
- 1797: James Harris, Baron MalmesburyJames Harris, 1st Earl of MalmesburyJames Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury GCB was an English diplomatist.-Early life :...
, Plenipotentiary
- 1797: James Harris, Baron Malmesbury
- There was no representation of Great Britain or the United Kingdom in France from 1792 to 1801, due to the French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary WarsThe French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
- 1801-1802: The Marquess CornwallisCharles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess CornwallisCharles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
, Plenipotentiary - 1802-1803: The Lord WhitworthCharles Whitworth, 1st Earl WhitworthCharles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth GCB, PC , known as The Lord Whitworth between 1800 and 1813 and as The Viscount Whitworth between 1813 and 1815, was a British diplomat and politician.-Early years:...
- 1801-1802: The Marquess Cornwallis
- No representation from 1803 to 1814, due to the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
- 1806: Francis Seymour-Conway, Earl of YarmouthFrancis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of HertfordFrancis Charles Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford KG, GCH PC , styled Viscount Beauchamp between 1793 and 1794 and Earl of Yarmouth between 1794 and 1822, was a British Tory politician and art collector....
and James Maitland, Earl of LauderdaleJames Maitland, 8th Earl of LauderdaleJames Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale KT PC was Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, and a representative peer for Scotland in the House of Lords.-Early years:...
, Plenipotentiaries - 1814-1815: The Duke of WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
- 1815-1824: Sir Charles StuartCharles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de RothesayCharles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay GCB, PC , known as Sir Charles Stuart between 1812 and 1828, was a British diplomat...
- 1824-1828: The Viscount GranvilleGranville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl GranvilleGranville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville GCB PC , known as Lord Granville Leveson-Gower from 1786 to 1814 and as the Viscount Granville from 1814 to 1833, was a British Whig statesman and diplomat....
- 1828-1830: The Lord Stuart de RothesayCharles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de RothesayCharles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay GCB, PC , known as Sir Charles Stuart between 1812 and 1828, was a British diplomat...
- 1830-1835: The Viscount GranvilleGranville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl GranvilleGranville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville GCB PC , known as Lord Granville Leveson-Gower from 1786 to 1814 and as the Viscount Granville from 1814 to 1833, was a British Whig statesman and diplomat....
- 1835: The Lord CowleyHenry Wellesley, 1st Baron CowleyHenry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley GCB was the youngest brother of the Duke of Wellington, and became a notable diplomat in his own right.-Life:...
- 1835-1841: The Earl GranvilleGranville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl GranvilleGranville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville GCB PC , known as Lord Granville Leveson-Gower from 1786 to 1814 and as the Viscount Granville from 1814 to 1833, was a British Whig statesman and diplomat....
- 1841-1846: The Lord CowleyHenry Wellesley, 1st Baron CowleyHenry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley GCB was the youngest brother of the Duke of Wellington, and became a notable diplomat in his own right.-Life:...
- 1846-1852: The Marquess of Normanby
- 1852-1867: The Earl CowleyHenry Wellesley, 1st Earl CowleyHenry Richard Charles Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley KG GCB PC , known as The Lord Cowley between 1847 and 1857, was a British diplomat...
- 1867-1887: The Viscount LyonsRichard Lyons, 1st Viscount LyonsRichard Bickerton Pemell Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons, GCB, GCMG, PC, DCL was an eminent British diplomat.-Biography:...
- 1887-1891: The Earl of LyttonRobert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of LyttonEdward Robert Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton, GCB, GCSI, GCIE, PC was an English statesman and poet...
- 1891-1896: The Marquess of Dufferin and AvaFrederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and AvaFrederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society...
- 1896-1905: Sir Edmund MonsonSir Edmund Monson, 1st BaronetSir Edmund John Monson, 1st Baronet GCMG, PC was a British diplomat.-Background and education:Monson was born at Seal, Kent the third son of William John Monson, 6th Baron Monson...
- 1905-1918: Sir Francis Bertie
- 1918-1920: The Earl of DerbyEdward Stanley, 17th Earl of DerbyEdward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, TD, PC, KGStJ, JP , known as Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, diplomat and racehorse owner. He was twice Secretary of State for War and also served as British Ambassador to...
- 1920-1922: The Lord Hardinge of PenshurstCharles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of PenshurstCharles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, was a British diplomat and statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1910 to 1916.-Background and education:...
- 1922-1928: The Marquess of CreweRobert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of CreweRobert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe KG, PC , known as The Lord Houghton from 1885 to 1895 and as The Earl of Crewe from 1895 to 1911, was a British statesman and writer....
- 1928-1934: Sir William Tyrrell
- 1934-1937: Sir George ClerkGeorge Clerk (diplomat)Sir George Russell Clerk PC GCMG CB was a British diplomat and Privy Counsellor who ended his career as Ambassador to France from 1934 to 1937, after seven years as Ambassador to Turkey and one as Ambassador to Belgium...
- 1937-1939: Sir Eric PhippsEric PhippsSir Eric Clare Edmund Phipps, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC was a British diplomat.-Family and early life:Phipps was the son of Sir Constantine Phipps, later British Ambassador to Belgium, and his wife Maria Jane...
- 1939-1940: Sir Ronald CampbellRonald Hugh CampbellSir Ronald Hugh Campbell, PC, GCMG was a British diplomat who held several important positions at the Foreign Office including, from July 1939 to 22 June 1940, when the armistice between Germany and France was signed at Compiègne, that of British ambassador to France...
- 1806: Francis Seymour-Conway, Earl of Yarmouth
- No representation from 1940 to 1944, due to the German occupation of France during the Second World WarWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- 1944-1948: Sir Alfred Duff CooperDuff CooperAlfred Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich GCMG, DSO, PC , known as Duff Cooper, was a British Conservative Party politician, diplomat and author. He wrote six books, including an autobiography, Old Men Forget, and a biography of Talleyrand...
, (previously Representative to the Free French in Algiers from 1943) - 1948-1954: Sir Oliver Harvey
- 1954-1960: Sir Gladwyn Jebb
- 1960: Sir Frederic Salusbury (Died in office)
- 1960-1965: Sir Pierson DixonPierson DixonSir Pierson John Dixon GCMG, CB was an English diplomat.Bob Dixon was the son of Pierson John Dixon and he was educated at Bedford School and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was the Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary between 1943 and 1948...
- 1965-1968: Sir Patrick ReillyPatrick ReillySir Patrick Reilly, GCMG was a British diplomat who served as ambassador to the USSR and France.D'Arcy Patrick Reilly was at Ootacamund, India, the only son of Sir D'Arcy Reilly, Chief Justice of Mysore. He was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, where he was awarded BA in 1932...
- 1968-1972: Sir Christopher Soames
- 1972-1975: Sir Edward TomkinsEdward TomkinsSir Edward Emile Tomkins, GCMG, CVO was a British diplomat. He was British Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1970 to 1972, and British Ambassador to France from 1972 to 1975. He owned Winslow Hall in Winslow, Buckinghamshire, often attributed to Christopher Wren, from 1959.Tomkins was the son of...
- 1975-1979: Sir Nicholas HendersonNicholas HendersonSir John Nicolas Henderson, GCMG, KCVO was a distinguished British career diplomat and writer, who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1979 to 1982....
- 1979-1982: Sir Reginald Hibbert
- 1982-1987: Sir John Fretwell
- 1987-1993: Sir Ewen FergussonEwen FergussonSir Ewen Alastair John Fergusson, GCMG, GCVO is a British diplomat.The son of Sir Ewen MacGregor Field Fergusson and Winifred Evelyn Fergusson, he was educated at Rugby and Oriel College, Oxford. He played rugby for Oxford University and for , gaining 5 caps...
- 1993-1996: Sir Christopher MallabyChristopher MallabySir Christopher Leslie George Mallaby, GCMG, GCVO is a British diplomat.-Early life and career:The son of Brigadier A. W. S. Mallaby CIE OBE and Margaret Catherine Mallaby, he was educated at Eton College and studied Modern Languages and History at Kings College, Cambridge...
:ru:Кристофер Маллаби - 1996-2001: Sir Michael JayMichael Jay, Baron Jay of EwelmeMichael Hastings Jay, Baron Jay of Ewelme, GCMG is a former British diplomat and is currently Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.-Education:...
- 2001-2007: Sir John Holmes
- 2007 to date: Sir Peter WestmacottPeter WestmacottSir Peter John Westmacott, KCMG, LVO is a senior British diplomat, currently serving as HM Ambassador to the French Republic....
- 1944-1948: Sir Alfred Duff Cooper