Tact & Tactics: Meet The Leading Women Diplomats Representing Britain Abroad

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In the traditionally male field of diplomacy, women are taking their place at the top.

It was a summer’s afternoon in New York, and Karen Pierce, then Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, was hosting a party to mark the Queen’s official birthday. In the garden of the UN headquarters in Manhattan’s Midtown East, a trestle table heaved under 500 cupcakes arranged in the shape of the Union Jack, while military attachés mingled with senior officials over drinks and music. “But the standout,” recalls Pierce proudly, “was the Brazilian drag queen.

Today, she is one of the crucial players in ensuring that the UK’s “deeply rooted, profound” special relationship with America not only persists, but thrives. “I do find myself every so often hankering for a bit of New York glamour,” she says from the smart Lutyens-designed ambassadorial residence in DC, a sunset-hued silk scarf lifting a black suit.

All have broken the mould. Deborah Bronnert, 54, was the first female envoy to Zimbabwe, where she represented the UK during Mugabe’s reign, while Caroline Wilson, 50, was the first woman to be British Consul General in Hong Kong. “And I have to say,” recalls Wilson from her office in Beijing, “that that was a shock for some members of the community.” How so? “Well they called me ‘sir’, for a start,” she says, laughing. “So it took them a while to get used to me.

When Biden re-entered the Paris Agreement hours after being sworn in as president, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. Not only was it a sign that the US was once again committed to tackling the climate emergency, but it symbolised America’s return to a foreign policy defined by liberal internationalism. Is the mood lighter with Trump’s departure?

That said, “There are limits,” she continues. “Things like the use of chemical weapons, that’s not something that I’m talking about respecting. As a diplomat, I have to be really conscious of the need to keep our country safe. Standing up for that in a way that is clear and respectful is a really important part of the work here. And even if that can be a bit uncomfortable for those of us sitting in Moscow, I’m not going to apologise for that.

At the time of writing, Wilson remains in her role. But when Kim Darroch, Pierce’s predecessor in Washington, described President Trump’s government as “dysfunctional” and “inept” in leaked private correspondence to colleagues, he was forced to resign. Certain commentators have posited that Boris Johnson – once described as the “Britain Trump” by Donald himself – should have condemned the former president’s actions in some areas more vociferously than he did.

 

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