Christopher Meyer

Sir Christopher Meyer KCMG

Sir Christopher Meyer spent more than five years in Washington DC, as British Ambassador to the USA, the UK’s top diplomatic appointment. This completes 36 years of distinguished public service, during much of which he was at the heart of British foreign policy and UK-US relations. He is now retiring from the British diplomatic service to become Chairman of the UK Press Complaints Commission.

During his time as Ambassador in Washington from 1997 to 2003 – the longest period for a British Ambassador since before the 2nd World War – Sir Christopher was deeply involved in a number of critical situations: the war over Kosovo, the Northern Ireland peace process, the war against international terrorism in Afghanistan and elsewhere, and the looming crisis with Saddam Hussein. He was closely involved in the building of a new relationship with Putin’s Russia and in the Middle East peace process. His remit also covered international trade and transatlantic economic relations.

Sir Christopher is credited with having played a key role in introducing Prime Minister Tony Blair to President George W Bush, as a result of which relations between Britain and the United States have rarely been closer.

In his 36 years as a career diplomat, Sir Christopher has occupied a number of key positions: British Ambassador to Germany; press secretary to Prime Minister John Major; press secretary to British Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe; speech writer to three Foreign Secretaries
in the 1970s and head of the political section of the British Embassy in Moscow. Sir Christopher started his career in the old Soviet Union and, besides Moscow (twice), has seen service in Madrid, Spain; in Brussels, Belgium, at the European Union; and, in an earlier incarnation, in the
USA.

Sir Christopher reckons that he had given some 200 speeches during his time in America, where he has visited 44 States and 120 cities. He speaks Russian, French, Spanish and German, with varying degrees of ability.

In 1998, in recognition of his service to the UK, Her Majesty The Queen made Sir Christopher a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.