The British Ambassador to Germany is the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
's foremost
diplomatic representative
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
in the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
, and in charge of the UK's
diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
in Germany. The official title is ''His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany''.
History
On German unification in 1871 the
British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Prussia in
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 ...
became the Ambassador to the new German Empire. During the partition of Germany following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the Ambassador to the new Federal Republic (or West Germany) resided in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
, the capital, from 1952. Berlin once more became the capital at reunification in 1990 and the Ambassador returned to Berlin in a new Embassy building, on the exact site of its predecessor in the Wilhelmstrasse, in 2000.
This article also includes the following predecessors:
*
German Confederation
The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...
, whose Diet was at
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
.
*
North German Confederation
The North German Confederation (german: Norddeutscher Bund) was initially a German military alliance established in August 1866 under the leadership of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was transformed in the subsequent year into a confederated st ...
.
For envoys to the:
*
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
''see''
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
*
Imperial Diet at Ratisbon ''see''
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
.
* Imperial Court at Brussels ''see''
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
.
*
Elector of Cologne
The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palat ...
at Cologne and then Bonn ''see''
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
*
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...
and then
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...
at Hanover ''see''
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
*
Hanseatic cities
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...
of
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
,
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
and
Lübeck
Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...
''see''
Hanseatic Cities
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...
*
Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...
and then
Electorate of Hesse
The Electorate of Hesse (german: Kurfürstentum Hessen), also known as Hesse-Kassel or Kurhessen, was a landgraviate whose prince was given the right to elect the Emperor by Napoleon. When the Holy Roman Empire was abolished in 1806, its p ...
at Darmstadt ''see''
Hesse-Cassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...
*
Elector of Brandenburg
This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Hol ...
and to the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
at Berlin ''see''
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
*
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz.
In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charles ...
at Dresden ''see''
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
*
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...
at Stuttgart ''see''
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...
* Other German States ''see''
other German states
List of heads of mission
German Confederation
Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary
*1817–1824:
Hon. Frederick Lamb
*1824–1827: Hon. Frederick Cathcart
[S. T. Bindoff, E. F. Malcolm Smith and C. K. Webster, ''British Diplomatic Representatives 1789-1852'' (Camden 3rd Series, 50, 1934).]
**1826–1828: John Ralph Milbanke ''Chargé d'Affaires'' (Legation secretary 1826–1835)
*1828–1829:
Henry Addington
*1829–1830:
George Chad
*1830–1838:
Thomas Cartwright
*1838:
Hon. Henry Fox
*1838–1839:
Ralph Abercromby
Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby (7 October 173428 March 1801) was a British people, British soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was appointed Gov ...
*1840–1848:
Hon. William Fox-Strangways
*1848–1852:
Henry Wellesley, 2nd Baron Cowley ''Special Mission 1849-1851''
*1852–1866:
Sir Alexander Malet, 2nd Baronet
Sir Alexander Malet, 2nd Baronet (1800–1886) was an English diplomat and writer.
Life
The eldest son of Sir Charles Malet, 1st Baronet, born at Hartham Park, Wiltshire in June 1800, he succeeded to the baronetcy in 1815. He was educated at W ...
North German Confederation
*1868–1871:
Lord Augustus Loftus
Lord Augustus William Frederick Spencer Loftus, (4 October 1817 – 7 March 1904) was a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Ambassador to Prussia from 1865 to 1868, to the North German Confederation from 1868 to 1871 and to the ...
German Empire
Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
*1871–1884:
Lord Odo Russell (created 1st Baron Ampthill in 1881)
*1884–1895:
Sir Edward Malet
*1895–1908:
Sir Frank Lascelles
*1908–1914:
Sir Edward Goschen
''No representation 1914–1919 due to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
—US diplomats mainly took care of duties during this time''
Weimar Republic
Chiefs of the Military Mission to Berlin
*1919:
Gordon Macready
Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon Nevil Macready, 2nd Baronet (5 April 1891 – 17 October 1956) was a British Army officer who served as Assistant Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the Second World War.
Military career
Born in Kandy, ...
*1919–1920:
Neill Malcolm
Major-General Sir Neill Malcolm, KCB, DSO (8 October 1869 – 21 December 1953) was a British Army officer who served as Chief of Staff to Fifth Army in the First World War and later commanded the Troops in the Straits Settlements.
Military ...
Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
*1920:
Victor Hay (later 21st Earl of Errol) ''Chargé d'Affaires''
*1920–1926:
Lord D'Abernon (created 1st Viscount D'Abernon in 1926)
*1926–1928:
The Hon Sir Ronald Lindsay
*1928–1933:
Sir Horace Rumbold
Third Reich
Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
*1933–1937:
Sir Eric Phipps
*1937–1939:
Sir Nevile Meyrick Henderson
World War II and after
*''No representation 1939–1944 due to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
''
*''Post-war government of Germany 1944–1948 by
Allied Control Council''
West Germany
High Commissioner at
Allied High Commission
The Allied High Commission (also known as the High Commission for Occupied Germany, HICOG; in German ''Alliierte Hohe Kommission'', ''AHK'') was established by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France after the 1948 breakdown of the Alli ...
*1949–1950:
Sir Brian Robertson (later 1st Baron Robertson of Oakridge)
*1950–1953:
Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick
*1953–''1955'':
Sir Frederick Hoyer Millar (later 1st Baron Inchyra)
Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
*''1955''–1957:
Sir Frederick Hoyer Millar (later 1st Baron Inchyra)
*1957–1962:
Sir Christopher Steel
*1962–1968:
Sir Frank Roberts
*1968–1972:
Sir Roger Jackling
*1972–1975:
Sir Nicholas Henderson
Sir John Nicholas Henderson, (1 April 191916 March 2009), known as Nicko Henderson, was a British diplomat and writer, who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1979 to 1982.
Life and career
Henderson was born in London, the ...
*1975–1981:
Sir Oliver Wright
*1981–1984:
Sir Jock Taylor
*1984–1988:
Sir Julian Bullard
*1988–''1990'':
Sir Christopher Mallaby
East Germany
Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
*1974–1976:
Sir Curtis Keeble
*1976–1978:
Sir Percy Cradock
*1978–1981:
*1981–1984:
Peter Maxey
*1984–1988:
*1988–1990:
Sir Nigel Broomfield
*1990:
Germany
Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
*1990–1993:
Sir Christopher Mallaby
*1993–1997:
Sir Nigel Broomfield
*1997:
Christopher Meyer
Sir Christopher John Rome Meyer (22 February 1944 – 27 July 2022) was a British diplomat who served as the Ambassador to the United States (1997–2003), Ambassador to Germany (1997), and the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission (20 ...
(later Sir Christopher Meyer)
*1997–2003:
Sir Paul Lever
*2003–2007:
Sir Peter Torry
*2007–2010:
Sir Michael Arthur
*2010–2015:
Sir Simon McDonald
*2015–2020:
Sir Sebastian Wood
*2020–present:
Jill Gallard
References
External links
UK and Germany gov.uk
{{Lists of heads of UK diplomatic missions
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...