The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Paris is the chief

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 denotes ...

of the United Kingdom in France. It is located on one of the most famous streets in France, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the

8th arrondissement of Paris The 8th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le huitième'' (). The ar ...

. The current British Ambassador to France is Menna Rawlings. The embassy also represents the

British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

in France. There are British consulates in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

and

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the Nazi occupation of France, the embassy's archives were burned as its staff fled the building to go south with the civilian

Vichy regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

from 1940 to 1944 to escape the German military, placing the embassy building, as well as several other buildings representing British interests in Paris, under Swiss protection in the meantime. The embassy reopened after the liberation of Paris in September 1944 which had been closed since June 1940. As a matter of priority following the liberation, a Dakota aircraft, with an escort of 45 Spitfires, flew across to Paris carrying the new British Ambassador to France, Alfred ‘Duff’ Cooper. In November 1944, the embassy hosted a dinner for

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

who was in Paris for his first visit since liberation for the Armistice commemoration. The dinner guests included

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

, their foreign ministers, and the US, Russian and Canadian ambassadors.

Ambassador's Residence

The official residence of the British ambassador to France since 1814 has been the Hôtel de Charost, located at 39 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, just a few doors down from the

Élysée Palace The Élysée Palace (, ) is the official residence of the President of France, President of the French Republic in Paris. Completed in 1722, it was built for Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, a nobleman and army officer who had been appointed g ...

. It was built in 1720 and bought by the Duke of Wellington in 1814.

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's sister, Princess Borghese, joined her brother in exile to

Elba Elba (, ; ) is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, a ...

, an Italian island located near the coasts of Tuscany. Penury forced the sale of this house on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré to the British government for use as their embassy. It had been the home of the Duke of Wellington for 5 months because he had been appointed Britain's ambassador to the court of Louis XVIII.

References

{{coord, 48.8692, N, 2.3188, E, source:wikidata, display=title

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Buildings and structures in the 8th arrondissement of Paris France–United Kingdom relations

History

Ambassador's Residence

See also

References