Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world
Sir Peter Westmacott, UK Ambassador to the US, delivers an address on the key challenges of diplomacy at the start of the 21st century.
Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO became British Ambassador to the United States in January 2012.
This is his second posting in Washington, having previously served as the British Embassy’s Counselor for Political and Public Affairs in the mid-1990s.
Prior to his service as Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Westmacott served as the British Ambassador to France—from 2007 to 2011—and as Ambassador to Turkey starting in 2002.
Ambassador Westmacott’s forty-year career in the British Diplomatic Service has included postings in Tehran and Brussels, time as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Director for the Americas, and a seat on the board of the Foreign Office as Deputy Under Secretary. In addition, Ambassador Westmacott served as Deputy Private Secretary to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales from 1990 to 1993.
Ambassador Westmacott’s personal connection to the United States extends back even further than his diplomatic posting. In 1942, his father was a sailor on the HMS Illustrious as it underwent repairs in Norfolk, Virginia to recover from damage inflicted during fighting at Malta.