Corps

New head of Protocol – Embassy 21 – December 2009
Simon Martin took up his new role as Director of Protocol at the Foreign Office this month succeeding Sarah Gillett...

Commonwealth gets new member – Embassy 21 – December 2009
Rwanda has joined the Commonwealth to become the organisation's 54th member state. The decision to admit the country...

Diplomatic Exchange – Embassy 21 – December 2009
to buy or sell goods or services with fellow diplomats...

Boris urged to write to Obama over C-Charge – Embassy 21 –
December 2009
The London Assembly has upped the ante in the Congestion Charge row with London's embassies by urging the Mayor to pile the pressure on non-paying missions.

Embassy relocations – Embassy 20 – November 2009
New contact details for Kosovo and Albania...

Rapist escapes from embassy – Embassy 20 – November 2009
A convicted double rapist escaped through a toilet window from the Pakistan High Commission...

Protocol Director heads for hills – Embassy 20 – November 2009
Embassy Magazine joins the rest of the diplomatic corps in congratulating Sarah Gillett, the FCO Director of Protocol...

US Embassy sold – Embassy 20 – November 2009
The US embassy building has been sold to Qatari Diar, a Qatari real estate firm...

EL SALVADOR EMERGENCY APPEAL – Embassy 20 – November 2009
The Embassy of El Salvador wishes to advise the international community of the state of national emergency declared...

On the fringes with Elizabeth Stewart – Embassy 20 – November 2009
It was with some amusement that I read in the papers that X Factor contestants had shacked up next to Ambassador Fu Ying...

‘The Iceberg’ cometh – Embassy 19 – October 2009
Wandsworth Council has granted outline planning permission for the construction of a new American Embassy nicknamed ‘The Iceberg’...

US Embassy gets listed status – Embassy 19 – October 2009
The US Embassy in Mayfair has been granted Grade II Listed status as an example of Modernist architecture...

Missions face CC charge hike – Embassy 19 – October 2009
London’s diplomats may have to brace themselves for a sharp increase in congestion charge fares from December 2010, as revealed...

Ambassador’s ‘hitman’ jailed
– Embassy 19 – October 2009A delivery man, who sparked a diplomatic security alert by threatening to assassinate the Turkish Ambassador, has been jailed...

New Protocol Deputy Director – Embassy 19 – October 2009
Alison MacMillan has succeeded Jackie Barson as the new Deputy Director of Protocol at the Foreign Office...

Director of Protocol honoured – Embassy 19 – October 2009
Sarah Gillett, the Director of Protocol at the Foreign Office, has been awarded the Companion of St Michael and St George (CMG)...

Ambassadors can turn their backs on Queen – Embassy 19
– October 2009
In a break with tradition, ambassadors and high commissioners no longer need to walk backwards when exiting the room...

Anti-coup protest at embassy – Embassy 19 – October 2009
Latin America solidarity organisations recently protested outside the Honduran Embassy against the coup in Honduras...

Animal welfare demonstrations – Embassy 19 – October 2009
Protesters from animal welfare charities gathered outside the Japanese Embassy to protest against the annual slaughter of 20,000 dolphins...

Hunger strike at embassy ends – Embassy 19 – October 2009
Twelve Iranian hunger strikers outside the US Embassy, who were kept alive by drinking sugary tea, ended their 72-day protest...

Postal strikes hit embassies – Embassy 19 – October 2009
London’s diplomatic missions were forced to rely on email, fax and private courier companies to ensure the delivery of urgent mail...

Filipino diaspora rallies to aid flood victims – Embassy 19
– October 2009
The Embassy of the Philippines has been inundated with offers of aid by businesses and the Filipino diaspora in the UK...

Jennifer Okello – Embassy 19 – October 2009
The Embassy Group joins the London diplomatic corps to mourn the sudden passing of Jennifer Okello, First Secretary at the Uganda...

New YDL President elected – Embassy 19 – October 2009
At the recent AGM of the Young Diplomats in London, Verne Augustin of the St Lucia High Commission...

New Press Club launched – Embassy 19 – October 2009
Public diplomacy officers at London’s missions have established the Diplomatic Press Attaché Association of London (DPAAL)...

YDL unveils new logo
– Embassy 19 – October 2009The YDL have revamped their branding with a contemporary new logo and a new-look website...

On the fringes with Elizabeth Stewart – Embassy 19 – October 2009
So what does happen behind the fortress gates of the US Embassy, you ask? A lot, especially in that basement pub...

Embassy debts increase by 50% – Embassy 18– July/August 2009
The British government is subsidising diplomatic missions that do not pay their rates and taxes to the tune of over £600,000...

Diplomatic ‘crimes’ halve – Embassy 18– July/August 2009
The number of serious offences allegedly committed by diplomats declined by 50% over the past year, according to figures...

Missions told to prepare for flu – Embassy 18– July/August 2009
The Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG) has urged London’s diplomatic missions to put business continuity plans in place over the summer...

Missions owe £27m in fines – Embassy 18– July/August 2009
Foreign diplomats owe over £27m in unpaid traffic penalties, according to figures compiled by the Foreign Office...

Diplomat’s son detained for stabbing father – Embassy 18 –
July/August 2009
The high-flying son of an African diplomat has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after stabbing his church-going father...

Diplomatic masterchef – Embassy 18 – July/August 2009
With the Masterchef craze sweeping Britain, the Danish Embassy decided to get a slice of the action by organising an Away Day...

YDL’s first wedding – Embassy 18 – July/August 2009
They might have been born 7000 miles apart but love conquers all – with a little help from the YDL...

‘Tis The Season – Embassy 18 – July/August 2009
London’s young diplomats made the most of the British Season, dressed in their finest for a day at the races at...

YDL launches lunchtime lectures – Embassy 18 – July/August 2009
The guest speaker at the inaugural YDL lunchtime lectures was Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat...

On the fringes with Elizabeth Stewart Embassy 18 – July/August 2009
Recently I was taking snaps at a diplomatic reception when a (non-diplomatic) guest sidled up to me and asked me slyly...

Reagan in Grosvenor Square – Embassy 17– May 2009
Former US President Ronald Reagan is being honoured with a bronze statue outside the US Embassy...

Embassy sizes up CO2 footprint – Embassy 17– May 2009
The Norwegian Embassy has had its carbon footprint measured in the first phase of a pilot project aimed at transforming the mission...

EU Presidency goes green – Embassy 17– May 2009
To launch the start of the Swedish EU presidency – and to promote environmental sustainability – the Swedish Embassy...

DPG revamps website – Embassy 17– May 2009
The Diplomatic Protection Group has expanded its Diplomatic Security Bulletin Board to keep the diplomatic community...

Lithuanians celebrate Millennium Odyssey – Embassy 17– May 2009
Over 400 Lithuanians gathered at Tower Millennium Pier to greet the brave yachtsmen of the Lithuanian Millennium...

Poetic charity – Embassy 17– May 2009
Departing South African High Commissioner Lindiwe Mabuza bid farewell to her colleagues in the Women in Diplomatic Service in poetic style...

DAN turns two – Embassy 17– May 2009
Political counsellors from 20 missions, all members of the Diplomatic Afghanistan Network (DAN), recently enjoyed a celebratory...

IDS and YDL join forces to raise funds – Embassy 17– May 2009
Young Diplomats in London and IDS participated in this year’s ISS World Market, where their stand raised £353...

Book your trip to paradise – Embassy 17– May 2009
Join Young Diplomats in London for five days in paradise in St Lucia this October. Only a few tickets are left so book now or miss out...

On the fringes with Elizabeth Stewart Embassy 17 – May 2009
Well you read it first in Embassy: as we predicted back in March, Chicago lawyer, investment banker and Democratic Party fundraiser...

London diplomatic corps remembers Jan Winkler
Embassy 16 – February 2009
Diplomats, the Czech Foreign Minister, members of the British Royal Family, WWII veterans and the Czech community...

Poland crowned league champs – Embassy 16 – February 2009
Forget the FA Cup - there was plenty of drama in this year's Diplomatic Football Association season...

Ambassadors honoured – Embassy 16 – February 2009
The Ambassador of Kuwait and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award...

US Embassy unveils new site – Embassy 16 – February 2009
Plans for the new US Embassy in Nine Elms received overwhelming approval from local residents, with 91% of respondents...

Six arrested in Embassy riots – Embassy 16 – February 2009
Six men suspected of violent disorder during a series of demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy

A day in the life of Patrick Doyle – Embassy 16 – February 2009
They say that wine is the lubricant of diplomacy, so it was fitting that Patrick Doyle, the managing director of IDS...

New WDS Committee elected – Embassy 16 – February 2009
The Women in Diplomatic Service elected a new committee for 2009/10 at their AGM in March. Andorran Ambassador Maria Rosa Picart...

YDL donates funds to WFP – Embassy 16 – February 2009
Bernard Hamilton, President Young Diplomats in London and Deputy High Commissioner for Malta, donated a £2500

Jan Winkler's death – Embassy 15 – February 2009
London’s diplomats were united in mourning following the sudden death of the Czech Ambassador Jan Winkler...

In Memory of Jan Winkler – Embassy 15 – February 2009
Ambassador Jan Winkler was one of a kind. In my first interview with him, he revealed that his preferred mode of transport was...

Aussies rally to aid fire victims – Embassy 15 – February 2009
Members of the Royal Family, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Opposition Leader David Cameron and diplomats visited the Australian High...

Mayor urges US Embassy to rethink – Embassy 15 – February 2009
Mayor Boris Johnson has called on President Barack Obama to reverse the US Embassy's refusal to pay the congestion charge.

'Hoover' tipped to be US Ambassador – Embassy 15 – February 2009
A Chicago lawyer, investment banker and Democratic fundraiser is rumoured to be a frontrunner as President Barack Obama's...

Envoy honoured at Oscars – Embassy 15 – February 2009
Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup was recognised for his novel Q&A at this year's Academy Awards. His book, adapted for the movie Slumdog...

US Embassy on YouTube – Embassy 15 – February 2009
The US Embassy London has expanded its virtual diplomacy by launching a YouTube channel...

IDS Diplomatic Cup finalists – Embassy 15 – February 2009
Ecuador made it through to the Diplomatic Football Association’s IDS Diplomatic Cup Final by snatching victory from rivals Lusitania Brazil...

East-West conference – Embassy 15 – February 2009
The Ambassador of Azerbaijan addressed a recent conference entitled Azerbaijan: Connecting East and West, jointly organised...

US promises iconic mission – Embassy 15 – February 2009
The US Embassy recently held a public exhibition of its plans to relocate to Wandsworth, giving residents a chance to air their views about the project.

WDS Annual Dinner – Embassy 15 – February 2009
The Women in Diplomatic Service enjoyed an elegant reception and gala dinner at the House of Lords hosted by Lord Clinton Davis. The evening included a tour

Kosovo FM opens new Embassy – Embassy 15 – February 2009
Kosovo's Foreign Minister Skender Hyseni formally inaugurated London's newest Embassy during a two-day visit of the Capital.

YDL raises money for Latin America – Embassy 15 – February 2009
YDL President Bernard Hamilton and Vice President Paola Ramirez presented the charity Discovering Latin America with a cheque...

On the fringes with Elizabeth Stewart Embassy 15 – February 2009
An Ambassador at a reception recently told me he'd cracked the secret to British politics. His secret?...

Embassy riot probe – Embassy 14 – January 2009
Police have released images of six suspects following violent demonatrations outside the Israeli Embassy in London in protest...

US Embassy in sale talks – Embassy 14 – January 2009
The US government is in talks to sell its imposing Mayfair embassy to a property investment company backed by Qatar Investment Authority...

Al Gurg – going, going, gong! – Embassy 14 – January 2009
It's the end of an era – after serving as the UAE's Man in London for 18 years, Easa Al Gurg is finally returning to Dubai for good...

Chilean Embassy to move – Embassy 14 – January 2009
The Embassy of Chile will be relocating to a new premises in July. The new property has been purchased in Westminster, a stone's throw...

Arsonist spared jail – Embassy 14 – January 2009
An Iranian Kurd asylum-seeker was handed a suspended jail sentence for setting fire to the Iranian Embassy...

Deadline extended for servants – Embassy 14 – January 2009
The UK Border Agency has extended the deadline for diplomatic servants to apply to remain in the UK with no immigration controls...

YDL helps homeless – Embassy 14 – January 2009
A cheque for £2000 from the YDL’s Shiny Party was donated to St Mungo’s, a charity devoted to helping homeless people in London...

On the fringes with Elizabeth Stewart – Embassy 14 – January 2009
As each new day brings ever more gloom about the state of the world economy, there is one lucky group doing well out of the financial crisis...

Chinese PM greeted by protests – Embassy 14 – January 2009
Violence briefly flared outside the Chinese Embassy as Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrived on an official visit to the UK...

Lighting up London for Christmas – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
On 30 November, a folklore troupe from the Carpathian mountains launched London’s festive season...

Embassies plan for terrorist attacks –Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
London’s embassies recently took part in a simulated terrorist attack, the first of its kind aimed at diplomat...

New rules for servants – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
Diplomats employing private servants from third countries will need to be registered as a sponsor with the Border Agency...

Envoys who saved Jews honoured – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
Foreign Secretary David Miliband recently unveiled a plaque in the Foreign Office commemorating courageous...

Diplomats rack up 1.5m in fines – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
Embassies in central London owe more than £1.5m in unpaid parking fines, Westminster Council has revealed...

Security breech at national day – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
A protester infiltrated Bahrain’s National Day celebrations and caused a disturbance when he started shouting...

DPG gets thumbs up – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
Embassy officials have given the Diplomatic Protection Group their seal of approval, a recent survey...

Missions owe £23m in unpaid CC charges – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
Foreign embassies refusing to pay London’s congestion charge have accrued a bill in excess of £23m...

Poll fever hits Embassy – Embassy 12 – Oct 2008
As polling stations around America brace themselves for long queues of voters, voting assistance officers at US Embassies around the world...

Embassy siege gunman paroled – Embassy 12 – Oct 2008
London – The only surviving terrorist from the Iranian Embassy siege has been released on parole...

Networking for nature – Embassy 12 – Oct 2008
Ambassador Liliana Fernandez made a plea for conservation diplomacy at an event co-hosted by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature...

New YDL committee elected – Embassy 12 – Oct 2008
The YDL has grown as an organisation, notching up almost £10,000 for charity and putting on a packed programme of activities this year...

YDL working for women – Embassy 12 – Oct 2008
A cheque of £4,000, the proceeds of the YDL’s Zanzafrica event at Marlborough House, was presented to Friends of the Commonwealth...

Embassy welcomes new envoys – Embassy 11 – Sep 2008
Over 130 newly-arrived diplomats from more than 60 diplomatic missions descended on the English Speaking Union for the first-ever Embassy Induction Seminar...

FCO hosts Eid Al-Fitr party – Embassy 11 – Sep 2008
David Miliband, alongside the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and the Communities Minister Hazel Blears...

US Embassy heading south – Embassy 11 – Sep 2008
The gilded American eagle of Grosvenor Square might well be migrating south of the river to Battersea, the US Embassy has announced...

Great Wall trek – Embassy 11 – Sep 2008
The Lithuanian Ambassador has just completed a gruelling ten-day expedition along the Great Wall of China to raise funds for charity...

Son of diplomat charged with murdering his father – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
It’s been a month of vibrating pockets. You must have seen it: a diplomat surreptitiously reading texts during dinners and receptions.

Saudi Ambassadors meet – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
The first regional meeting of Saudi ambassadors in Europe was held at the Saudi Embassy in London in July...

Diplomatic duo share top job – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
For the first time in the history of the Foreign Office, a husband and wife team will be joint heads of a British diplomatic mission...

Brits behaving badly abroad – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
Record numbers of British tourists are falling foul of the law, a survey compiled by the FCO has revealed...

It’s a boy! – Embassy 9 – Jun 2008
Congratulations to Bernard and Vanessa Hamilton on the birth of their baby boy

New Tajik Embassy – Embassy 9 – Jun 2008
The Court of St James’s has increased with the addition of a brand new mission...

Cyprus on the move – Embassy 9 – Jun 2008
This month the President of Cyprus inaugurated the spacious new High Commission in St James’s Square to much fanfare...

Shock at Royal Suite price hikes – Embassy 8 – May 2008
Embassies will be charged £1,000 for dignitaries using the Royal Suite, it was recently announced by the Foreign Office...

US perimeter fence complete – Embassy 8 – May 2008
By mid-June the US Embassy's perimeter security project will be complete, US Ambassador Robert Tuttle has announced.

Embassy insurance firm launched – Embassy 8 – May 2008
A new insurance company for envoys has launched. Towergate Embassy Insurance (TIC) is owned by Towergate Insurance, which already works with 50 missions...

IMO HQ gets hi-tech makeover – Embassy 8 – May 2008
After a 20-month refurbishment, the IMO headquarters have re-opened for business. The formal re-launch will take place at a special ceremony in mid-June to coincide...

Envoys choose Boris – Embassy 7 – Apr 2008
Boris Johnson has won by a whisker in a poll of London’s diplomats who picked him as the mayoral candidate who would make the best Ambassador for London...

Candidates to 'engage' with corps – Embassy 7 – Apr 2008
Whoever Londoners pick on Thursday as the capital’s new Mayor, embassies in the capital will be the winners with all three candidates promising renewed cooperation with...

Outcry at VIP hikes – Embassy 7 – Apr 2008
The FCO decision to withdraw funding from the VIP lounges at airports has sparked outrage among London’s diplomatic missions, who are in shock at the “extortionate” commercial rates...

Well versed – Embassy 7 – Apr 2008
There is a lot more to Lindiwe Mabuza than meets the eye. The South African High Commissioner was a freedom fighter in her day, and poetry was a solace during the homesick days in exile...

Women HOMs – ‘role models’ – Embassy 7 – Apr 2008
London’s women heads of mission are an example to the Foreign Office, FCO Minister Meg Munn said recently at the Annual General Meeting of the Women in Diplomatic Service...

YDL funds to help rural poor – Embassy 7 – Apr 2008
Deprived rural women in Nicaragua will be the beneficiaries of money raised by the Young Diplomats of London’s Latin Party earlier this year...

Envoys immune from pollution tax – Embassy 6 – Mar 2008
Diplomats who own gas-guzzling cars can heave a sigh of relief – envoys are to be exempt from the new £25 emissions charge...

A family affair – Embassy 6 – Mar 2008
Honduras likes to keep things in the family. The new Ambassador to London, Ivan Romero-Martinez, has just arrived from New York to take over the London mission from none other than his son...

Farewell Farida! – Embassy 6 – Mar 2008
Veteran private secretary to the Syrian Ambassador is finally retiring. Tanzanian-born Farida arrived in London in the 1960s and took up her first job at the Egyptian visa section...

Happy Holidays – Embassy 6 – Mar 2008
What did diplomats do over the Easter break? A survey suggests that despite wintry weather, most would have spent their time off exploring beyond the M25...

Malta Magic – Embassy 6 – Mar 2008
In March diplomats from 14 countries stepped back in time on a trip to Malta organised by the Young Diplomats of London...

Embassy security – Embassy 6 – Mar 2008
How does the British government fulfil its responsibilities to protect diplomatic missions in Britain? Diplomats recently attended a Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG) seminar to find out...

New emissions charge illegal – expert – Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
Diplomats should be exempt from Mayor Ken Livingstone's new £25 emissions charge for gas-guzzling vehicles, a legal expert has told Embassy magazine...

Hungarian Ambassador granted Freedom of the City – Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
Hungarian Ambassador Borbála Czakó has been granted the Freedom of the City of London, only the third Hungarian to be awarded this honour, the other two being revolutionary hero Louis Kossuth...

Rock and a hard place – Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
British rock music is becoming a potent force in diplomacy. First Deep Purple performed for Russian presidential candidate...

New ceremonial head – Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
Simon Burton has taken over from Marie-Louise Archer as head of the Ceremonial Section. Mr Burton comes to the Protocol Division...

US Embassy launches 'green blog' – Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
Science, environment and technology attachés wanting to know more about America's thinking in the Climate Change debate...

US Ambassador hosts Elections webchat – Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
The US presidential primaries have been a fascinating contest. To join Ambassador Robert Tuttle in an online discussion about the elections...

Mission accomplished – Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
How do you represent a state that has ceased to exist? As three Baltic nations celebrate their 90th anniversary of statehood, we look back at how six diplomats in London kept the dream of nationhood alive during the long years of the Cold War.

New Ceremonial Section Head – Embassy 4 – Jan 2008
Embassy would like to welcome Simon Burton, who will be replacing Marie-Louise Archer as the new head of the Ceremonial Section in the Protocol Division...

Envoy’s son outed as cyber jihadi – Embassy 4 – Jan 2008
The ringleader of cyber terrorist group has been revealed as Younis Tsouli, an IT student and son of a Moroccan diplomat. Tsouli, 23, arrived in London in 2001...

Malta celebrates – Embassy 4 – Jan 2008
The Maltese High Commissioner had two things to celebrate when he opened an exhibition of Maltese art at the EU Commission Office this week...

New Head of AERL – Embassy 4 – Jan 2008
Shmuel Ben Tovim, Minister of Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Israel...

YDL helps the homeless – Embassy 4 – Jan 2008
The Young Diplomats of London like a party with a purpose. The success of their legendary Shiny Party just before Christmas raised £1,000, which the committee...

The Queen's Man appointed – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
A career diplomat has again been chosen to be The Queen's Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps in a post that has traditionally gone to military men since the Second World War.

Goodbye Laura – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
London's diplomats will bid a fond farewell to Laura Howard, the Lady Clerk to the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps...

Security risk at missions – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
The Security Industry Authority has advised diplomatic missions to check the immigration...

Canadians are moving – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
Canada's High Commission is set to move to a modern, smaller building near to Canada House...

Strikes hit embassies – Embassy 1 – Oct 2007
Industrial action by postal workers at the Royal Mail has cost diplomatic missions thousands of pounds in undelivered mail...

Burmese envoy resigns – Embassy 1 – Oct 2007
LONDON - Ye Min Tun, a second secretary at the Burmese Embassy in London and diplomat for 10 yeas...

US Ambassador hosts Iftaar meal – Embassy 1 – Oct 2007
LONDON/WASHINGTON - US Ambassador Robert Tuttle broke the fast with prominent British Muslims during Ramadan...

German Ambassador named Kosovo Envoy – Embassy 1 – Oct 2007
LONDON - Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger has been appointed as the EU's representative for the forthcoming negotiations...