The principal private secretary to the secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs is the head of the private office of the foreign minister of the

His Majesty's Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

, and is located in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Main Building.

History

At the start of the 19th century, the foreign secretary would have had one or two private secretaries, who were often personal appointments of the office-holder. As the complexity of

British foreign policy The diplomatic foreign relations of the United Kingdom are conducted by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, headed by the Foreign Secretary. The prime minister and numerous other agencies play a role in setting policy, and many ...

grew significantly, and consequently the size of the private office expanded to provide policy and administrative support; the chief civil servant in the private office became the principal private secretary. Today, he or she is the head of a small department, and the post is a senior and prestigious one, now typically held for a two-year term by an experienced officer from 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 o ...

. The post is director grade equivalent in the Civil Service (SCS2), and also equivalent to a rear admiral in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. Holders of the post often go on to hold some of the most senior ambassador posts overseas, and also often honoured with a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

. This list below shows holders' names as they were at the time of holding the post; details of their later careers and honours can be found in individual articles. In addition, the list includes holders of the posts of

private secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

to the

secretary of state for foreign affairs The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

and then principal private secretary to the secretary of state for foreign affairs (1822-1968). The office of secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs was created in 1968, by the merger of the Foreign Office and the

Commonwealth Office The Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs was a British Cabinet minister responsible for dealing with the United Kingdom's relations with members of the Commonwealth of Nations (its former colonies). The minister's department was the Common ...

's secretary of state's offices.

Principal private secretaries

*1822: George Seymour *1822–1824:

Lord George Bentinck Lord William George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (27 February 180221 September 1848), better known as Lord George Bentinck, was an English Conservative politician and racehorse owner noted for his role (with Benjamin Disraeli) in unseatin ...

*1824–1827: Augustus Stapleton *1827–1830: Digby Wrangham *1830–1833:

John Walpole Colonel John Walpole (17 November 1787 – 10 December 1859) was a soldier and diplomat, a younger son of Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford. He served with the Guards during the Peninsular War, and was wounded at the Siege of Burgos. He was M ...

*1833–1834: Stephen Sulivan *1834–1835:

Algernon Greville Algernon Frederick Greville (29 December 1798 – 15 December 1864) was an English soldier, cricketer, and officer of arms who served as private secretary to the Duke of Wellington. Life He was commissioned an ensign in the Grenadier Guards on ...

*1835–1840: Charles Cowper *1840–1841: James Howard *1841–1846: Clinton Dawkins *1846–1852:

Spencer Ponsonby Sir Spencer Cecil Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane, (''né'' Ponsonby; 14 March 1824 – 1 December 1915) was an English cricketer and civil servant. He was born in 1824 in Mayfair, the sixth son of John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough. Cricket Ponson ...

*1852: George Harris *1852–1853: Arthur Russell *1853–1857:

(''Second term'') *1857–1858: Villiers Lister *1858–1859: John Bidwell *1859–1865: George Elliot *1865–1866: Villiers Lister (''Second term'') *1866–1868: Thomas Sanderson *1868–1870: Villiers Lister (''Third term'') *1870–1871: Robert Meade *1871–1874: Thomas Wetherell *1874–1878: Thomas Sanderson (''Second term'') *1878–1880: Philip Currie *1880–1885: Thomas Sanderson (''Third term'') *1885–1886: Eric Barrington *1886: Francis Hyde Villiers *1886–1892: Eric Barrington (''Second term'') *1892–1894: Francis Hyde Villiers (''Second term'') *1894–1895: Armine Wodehouse *1895–1905: Sir Eric Barrington (''Third term'') *1906–1907:

Louis du Pan Mallet Sir Louis du Pan Mallet (10 July 1864 – 8 August 1936) was a British diplomat who was Ambassador to Turkey at the outbreak of World War I. Career Louis du Pan Mallet was the third son of Sir Louis Mallet, a British civil servant. He was educ ...

*1907–1915: Sir William Tyrrell *1915–1919: Sir Eric Drummond *1920–1924: Robert Vansittart *1924–1932: Sir Walford Selby *1932–1935: Horace Seymour *1936–1939: Oliver Harvey *1939–1941:

Ralph Stevenson Sir Ralph Clarmont Skrine Stevenson, GCMG, MLC, CP (16 May 1895 – 23 June 1977) was a British diplomat. He was the son of Surgeon-General, H.W. Stevenson and was educated at Wellington College and University College, Oxford. He married Helen ...

*1941–1943: Oliver Harvey (''Second term'') *1943–1947:

Pierson Dixon Sir Pierson John Dixon (13 November 190422 April 1965) was a British diplomat and writer. He was known to be a firm believer in the value of diplomacy to solve international issues. Career Dixon was the Principal Private Secretary to the For ...

*1947–1949: Frank Roberts *1949–1951:

Roderick Barclay Sir Roderick Edward Barclay (2 February 1909 – 24 October 1996) was a British diplomat who was ambassador to Denmark and Belgium. Career Roderick Edward Barclay was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He entered t ...

*1951–1954:

Evelyn Shuckburgh Sir Charles Arthur Evelyn Shuckburgh, GCMG, CB (26 May 1909 – 12 December 1994), better known as Sir Evelyn Shuckburgh, was a British diplomat. In the 1950s he was at the heart of affairs in London, as Principal Private Secretary to the Fore ...

*1954–1955: Sir Anthony Rumbold *1955–1956:

Patrick Hancock Sir Patrick Francis Hancock (25 June 1914 – 1 February 1980) was a British diplomat who was ambassador to Israel, Norway and Italy. Career Patrick Francis Hancock was educated at Winchester College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He joined th ...

*1956–1959:

Denis Laskey Sir Denis Seward Laskey (18 January 1916 – 16 October 1987) was British ambassador to Romania and Austria. Career Denis Seward Laskey was educated at Marlborough College and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He joined the Foreign Office in 19 ...

*1959–1963:

Ian Samuel Adrian Christopher Ian Samuel (20 August 1915 – 26 December 2010) was a Royal Air Force pilot, British diplomat, and director of chemical and agrochemical trade associations. Career Ian Samuel was educated at Rugby School and St John's College ...

*1963: Oliver Wright *1963–1965: Nicholas Henderson *1965–1967:

Murray MacLehose Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, (; 16 October 1917 – 27 May 2000), was a British politician, diplomat and the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, from 1971 to 1982. He was the longest-serving governor of the colony, with four ...

*1967–1969:

Donald Maitland Sir Donald James Dundas Maitland (16 August 192222 August 2010) was a senior British diplomat. He served as British Prime Minister Edward Heath's press secretary 1970 to 1974. Early life Donald was the son of Thomas Maitland. He was born i ...

*1969–1972: John Graham *1972–1975:

Antony Acland Sir Antony Arthur Acland (12 March 1930 – 8 September 2021) was a British diplomat and a provost of Eton College. Early life Antony Acland was the second son of Bridget Susan (Barnett) and Brigadier Peter Acland. He was educated at Eton ...

*1975:

Stephen Barrett Stephen Joel Barrett (; born 1933) is an American retired psychiatrist, author, co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF), and the webmaster of Quackwatch. He runs a number of websites dealing with quackery and health frau ...

*1975–1978: Ewen Fergusson *1978–1981: George Walden *1981–1984:

Brian Fall Sir Brian James Proetel Fall (born 13 December 1937) is a retired British diplomat who was the UK's Special Representative for the South Caucasus 2002–12. Education Brian Fall was educated at St Paul's School, London, Magdalen College, Oxford ...

*1984–1986: Leonard Appleyard *1986–1988: Anthony Galsworthy *1988–1990: Stephen Wall *1990–1993:

Richard Gozney Sir Richard Hugh Turton Gozney (born 21 July 1951) is a British career diplomat. He was governor and commander in chief of Bermuda from 12 December 2007 to 18 May 2012 and served as the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man from 27 May 20 ...

*1993–1995:

John Sawers Sir Robert John Sawers FRUSI (born 26 July 1955) is a British intelligence officer, diplomat and civil servant. He was Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), a position he held from November 2009 until November 2014. He was previousl ...

*1995–1997: William Ehrman *1997–1999: John Grant *1999–2001:

Sherard Cowper-Coles Sir Sherard Louis Cowper-Coles (born 8 January 1955) is a British former diplomat. He was the Foreign Secretary's Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2009–2010. After leaving the Foreign Office, he worked briefly for BAE ...

*2001–2003: Simon McDonald *2003–2005: Geoffrey Adams *2005–2007: Peter Hayes *2007–2010: Matthew Gould *2010–2012: Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby *2012–2014: Thomas Drew *2014–2018: Martin Reynolds *January–June 2018:

Jonathan Sinclair Jonathan William Rossiter Sinclair (born 13 October 1970) is a British diplomat who is Director of Human Resources at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Career Sinclair was educated at Radley College and studied at Oxford University for a B ...

*June 2018–April 2019: Serena Stone *June 2019 -January 2021: Susannah Goshko *January 2021 – present: Nick Catsaras

References

External links

*Mackie, Colin (2016) {{cite web , url= http://www.gulabin.com/britishdiplomatsdirectory/pdf/britishdiplomatsdirectory.pdf , title= A Directory of British Diplomats , access-date= 22 August 2013 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104239/http://www.gulabin.com/britishdiplomatsdirectory/pdf/britishdiplomatsdirectory.pdf , archive-date= 4 March 2016 , url-status= dead Lists of office-holders in the United Kingdom Civil service positions in the United Kingdom Foreign relations of the United Kingdom

History

Principal private secretaries

See also

References

External links