Sir Christopher Eden Steel (12 February 1903 – 17 September 1973) was a British diplomat who was permanent representative to NATO and ambassador to West Germany.

Career

Christopher Steel was educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

and

Hertford College, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...

(he held scholarships at both) and entered the

Diplomatic Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to ...

in 1927. He served at

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

. For a year in 1935–36 he was assistant private secretary to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

. He was British political officer at

SHAEF Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF; ) was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the commander in SHAEF th ...

1945–47, political adviser to the British Commander-in-Chief, Germany, 1947–49 and deputy British High Commissioner, Germany, 1949–50. He was Minister (deputy head of mission) at the British Embassy,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, 1950–53, UK

Permanent Representative A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country’s diplomatic mission to an international organisation. Organizations that receive permanent representatives from their member states include the United Nations, the World Tr ...

on the

North Atlantic Council The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the principal political decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), consisting of permanent representatives of its member countries. It was established by Article 9 of the North A ...

1953–57 and

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 ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

1957–63. He retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1963 and was chairman of the Anglo-German Association 1966–73. :

He was held in high admiration by many foreigners and particularly by the Germans, among whom he spent a major part of his career, for the accuracy with which he corresponded to the conventional image of an Englishman: his tall military figure, his ruddy complexion and neat moustache, his skill as a shot, fisherman and golfer, and his straightforward and occasionally outspoken manner. He also inspired deep affection among those who knew the warmth of hs friendship, his charm as a host and his kindly but firm leadership as a Head of Mission.
— Sir Denis Greenhill

Honours

Christopher Steel was appointed MVO in the

King'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 ...

of 1936 and in the King's Birthday Honours of 1946. He was knighted KCMG in the King's Birthday Honours of 1951 and promoted to GCMG in the 1960 New Year Honours.

Offices held

References

STEEL, Sir Christopher Eden
''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2015 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2014)
Sir Christopher Steel: Former Ambassador to Bonn
''The Times'', London, 18 September 1973, page 21

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Steel, Christopher Eden 1903 births 1973 deaths People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford Permanent Representatives of the United Kingdom to NATO Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to West Germany Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Royal Victorian Order Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany