Sir Anthony Lambert KCMG (7 March 1911 – 28 April 2007) was a British diplomat who was UK envoy to Bulgaria, Tunisia, Finland and Portugal.

Career

Sir Anthony was described by ''The Telegraph'' as Anthony Edward Lambert was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and went with a scholarship to

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

. He joined the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

in 1934 and served first in Brussels, then during World War II in Ankara (where his ambassador Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen was spied on by his Albanian valet Elyesa Bazna, codenamed Cicero by the Germans), then Beirut where he was involved in General Sir Louis Spears' campaign to counter French influence, then after the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944 he was posted to Brussels again and later to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and to Athens where during travels around the country he compiled a checklist of the birds of Greece which became a standard work of reference. Lambert was

Minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

to Bulgaria 1958–60, where he instigated the first production of a British Opera in Sofia by spending his cultural budget on records of '' Peter Grimes'' which he left on a table at a party for opera enthusiasts: after the party the records were gone and the local opera company subsequently staged ''Peter Grimes'' with sets by Osbert Lancaster who was a friend of Mr and Mrs Lambert. Lambert was

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to Tunisia 1960–63, to Finland 1963–66 and to Portugal 1966–70. Lambert retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1970 and became director of a textile company, Crosrol Ltd. In retirement he also edited a new edition of

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

's ''Guide to English Parish Churches''.

Publications

*''A specific check list of the birds of Greece'', ''Ibis'', volume 99, issue 1, January 1957 *''Spring migration of raptors in Bulgaria'', ''Ibis'', volume 103A, Issue 1, January 1961

Honours

Lambert was appointed CMG in the 1955

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

and knighted KCMG in the 1964 New Year Honours.

References

LAMBERT, Sir Anthony (Edward)
''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, Anthony Edward 1911 births 2007 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Bulgaria Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Tunisia Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Finland Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Portugal Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George