The British ambassador to the United States is in charge of the British Embassy, Washington, D.C., 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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 ...

to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The official title is His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the United States of America. The ambassador's residence is on Massachusetts Avenue in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

It was designed by Sir

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...

and built in 1928.

Duties

The position of ambassador to the United States is considered to be one of the most important and prestigious posts in

His Majesty's Diplomatic Service His Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HMDS) is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, dealing with foreign affairs and representing British interests overseas, as opposed to the Civil Service, which deals ...

, along with that of Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

. The ambassador's main duty is to present British policies to the American government and people, and to report American policies and views to the

Government of the United Kingdom His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

. They serve as the primary channel of communication between the two nations, and play an important role in treaty negotiations. The ambassador is the head of the United Kingdom's consular service in the United States. As well as directing diplomatic activity in support of trade, they are ultimately responsible for visa services and for the provision of consular support to British citizens in America. They also oversee cultural relations between the two countries.

History

The first British envoy to the United States was Sir John Temple, who was appointed consul general in 1785 and was based in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

at the estate at Richmond Hill (Manhattan) which served previously as a headquarters for

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. George Hammond was appointed on 5 July 1791. He held the title of Minister in Washington or Minister to the United States of America. In 1809, David Erskine and President

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

negotiated a compromise on Anglo-American disputes over shipping in the Atlantic, which might have averted the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. However, the deal was rejected by

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

and the British Government recalled Erskine. By the 1850s, the envoy's title was Her Majesty's

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to the United States of America, and the United Kingdom had consulates in several American cities. Under the direction of Sir John Crampton in 1854 and 1855, British consuls attempted to enlist American volunteers to fight in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

. The American government strenuously objected, and President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

asked for Crampton to be recalled. The United Kingdom refused, and in May 1856 the American government dismissed Crampton, along with the United Kingdom's consuls in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. After much negotiation, the United Kingdom was allowed to re-establish its Legation in Washington the following year, and Lord Napier became the new minister. In 1893, the British diplomatic mission in Washington was raised from a

Legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legation ...

to an

Embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a Sovereign state, 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 ...

, and Sir Julian Pauncefote, Minister since 1889, was appointed as the United Kingdom's first ambassador to the United States, with the title Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States. The role has in the past been offered to three former

Prime Ministers A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but rat ...

: the

Earl of Rosebery Earl of Rosebery is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1703 for Archibald Primrose, 1st Viscount of Rosebery, with remainder to his issue male and female successively. Its name comes from Roseberry Topping, a hill near Archibald's w ...

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

and Sir Edward Heath, all of whom declined.

Heads of mission

Minister plenipotentiary (1791–1795)

As a republic, the United States was not entitled to receive an ambassador. Instead, the United Kingdom dispatched a diplomat with the lower

rank A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial. People Formal ranks * Academic rank * Corporate title * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy ...

of ''minister plenipotentiary''. This placed the United Kingdom on equal footing with France, which also maintained a minister plenipotentiary in the United States. 1791–1795: George Hammond

Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary (1796–1893)

In 1796, the United Kingdom raised its representation to ''

envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

'', or ''minister''. Diplomatic relations would be maintained at this rank for almost 100 years. *1796–1800: Sir Robert Liston *1800–1804: Sir Edward Thornton *1803–1806: Anthony Merry *1807–1809: The Hon. David Erskine *1809–1811: Francis Jackson *1811–1812: Sir Augustus Foster *1812–1815: ''No representation due to the

'' *1815–1820: The Hon. Sir Charles Bagot *1820–1824: Stratford Canning *1825–1835: Sir Charles Vaughan *1835–1843: Sir Henry Fox *1843–1847: Richard Pakenham *1849–1852: Sir Henry Bulwer *1852–1856: Sir John Crampton, Bt *1857–1858: Lord Napier *1858–1865: Lord Lyons *1865–1867: Sir Frederick Bruce *1867–1881: Sir Edward Thornton *1881–1888: The Hon. Lionel Sackville-West *1889–1893: Sir Julian Pauncefote

Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary (from 1893)

*1893–1902: Sir Julian Pauncefote (Lord Pauncefote from 1899) *1902–1903: The Hon. Sir Michael Herbert *1903–1906: Sir Mortimer Durand *1907–1913:

James Bryce James Bryce may refer to: * James Bryce (geologist) (1806–1877), Irish naturalist and geologist * James Bryce (footballer) (1884–1916), Scottish footballer * James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce (1838–1922), British jurist, historian and politicia ...

(later Viscount Bryce) *1913–1918: Sir Cecil Spring Rice *1918–1919: The Earl of Reading *1919–1920: Viscount Grey of Fallodon *1920–1924: Sir Auckland Geddes *1924–1930: Sir Esme Howard *1930–1939: Sir Ronald Lindsay *1939–1940: The Marquess of Lothian *1940–1946: Viscount Halifax (Earl of Halifax from 1944) *1946–1948: Lord Inverchapel *1948–1952: Sir Oliver Franks *1953–1956: Sir Roger Makins *1956–1961: Sir Harold Caccia *1961–1965: The Hon. Sir David Ormsby-Gore (Lord Harlech from 1964) *1965–1969: Sir Patrick Dean *1969–1971: The Rt. Hon. John Freeman *1971–1974: The Earl of Cromer *1974–1977: The Hon. Sir Peter Ramsbotham *1977–1979: The Hon. Peter Jay *1979–1982: Sir Nicholas Henderson *1982–1986: Sir Oliver Wright *1986–1991: Sir Antony Acland *1991–1995: Sir Robin Renwick *1995–1997:

Sir John Kerr Sir John Robert Kerr, (24 September 1914 – 24 March 1991) was an Australian barrister and judge who served as the 18th governor-general of Australia, in office from 1974 to 1977. He is primarily known for his involvement in the 1975 Austral ...

*1997–2003: Sir Christopher Meyer *2003–2007: Sir David Manning *2007–2012: Sir Nigel Sheinwald *2012: Sir Philip Barton, Chargé d'affaires ad interim *2012–2016: Sir Peter Westmacott *2016–2019: Lord Darroch of Kew *2020: Michael Tatham, Chargé d'affaires ad interim *2020–2025: Dame Karen Pierce *2025: James Roscoe, Chargé d'affaires ad interim *2025–present: The Lord Mandelson

Ambassadors in fiction

* Sir Everard Everett, in Wodehouse's ''

Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit ''Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit'' is a comic novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 15 October 1954 by Herbert Jenkins, London and in the United States on 23 February 1955 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, under t ...

'' * Lord John Marbury, in

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

'' * Sir Mark Brydon, in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's ''

The State Within ''The State Within'' is a six-part British television political thriller series, written and created by Lizzie Mickery and Daniel Percival (director), Daniel Percival, that was broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from Thursday, 2 Novembe ...

References

External links

UK and United States of America
gov.uk {{Lists of heads of UK diplomatic missions

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...