Sir Richard Stagg (born 27 September 1955) is a retired British diplomat who was ambassador to

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

, high commissioner to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and ambassador to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Education

Charles Richard Vernon Stagg was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...

where he read history.

Career

On joining the

British Foreign Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreign ...

, Stagg worked in the Department responsible for Hong Kong – on his second day the

Hong Kong Police The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...

mutinied, adding to the challenge of managing Britain’s last major overseas territory. He then spent three years in Bulgaria, and a further three years in the Netherlands at a time when the country was in uproar over the planned deployment of US missiles. Stagg was then seconded to the Secretariat of the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the E ...

to help establish a new organisation designed to coordinate more effectively the foreign policy of the members of the European Union. He returned to London to work on policy towards the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

in the three years leading up to its collapse and the liberation of Eastern Europe – the goal of British policy for the previous four decades. After two years as British Press Spokesman in Brussels during the Maastricht negotiations (which led to a landmark treaty paving the way for the

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

), he became a Private Secretary to the British Foreign Secretary

Douglas Hurd Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, (born 8 March 1930) is a British Conservative Party politician who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995. A career diplomat and political secretary to P ...

. From 1996–1998 Stagg was head of the Foreign Office Department responsible for the Enlargement of the EU – negotiations with 10 candidate countries were started in early 1998 under the UK’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. Stagg was appointed British Ambassador to Bulgaria in 1998 and served there for three years during the war over the future of Kosovo. Between 2001 and 2007 Stagg was responsible for the Foreign Office’s global consular, visa and information work; and for the global estate, IT and HR. He was a member of the Foreign Office's management board from 2002 to 2007. Stagg was British High Commissioner to India from 2007 to 2011, and Ambassador to Afghanistan from April 2012 until he retired in early 2015. In September 2019 he took up the post of Warden of

, chairing its board of governors.

Personal life

Stagg is married with five children - 3 sons and 2 daughters.

References

STAGG, Sir (Charles) Richard (Vernon)
Who's Who 2012, A & C Black, 2012; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2011, retrieved 26 Oct 2012

External links

Afghanistan should be left 'to get on with things' – British ambassador
''The Guardian'', London, 2 October 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stagg, Richard 1955 births Living people People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Bulgaria High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to India Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Afghanistan Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Wardens of Winchester College