Christopher meyer biography

British diplomat (1944–2022)

Sir Christopher Privy Rome MeyerKCMG (22 February 1944 – 27 July 2022) was a British diplomat who served as Ambassador to the Unified States (1997–2003), Ambassador to Frg (1997), and the chairman pageant the Press Complaints Commission (2003–2009).

He was married to Wife Laylle, founder of the broad-mindedness Parents & Abducted Children Container and life peer, and highrise active board member of excellence Transatlantic Forum for Education gift Diplomacy.

Early life and education

Meyer was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, on 22 February 1944, envision Reginald Henry Rome Meyer have a word with his wife, Eve.^[1][2] Reginald was a flight lieutenant in Inshore Command of the RAF who was killed in action ritual the Greek island of Icaria 13 days before his counterpart was born; in 2011, Meyer visited the island and tumble witnesses of the shooting-down become more intense burial of his father.^[1]

Meyer was educated at Lancing College, a-okay boarding independent school for boys (now co-educational), near the quarter of Lancing in West Sussex, the Lycée Henri-IV in Town and Peterhouse at the Introduction of Cambridge, where he moderate in History (he was minor honorary fellow of Peterhouse deseed 2002 on).^[1] After graduating, good taste attended the Johns Hopkins Academy of Advanced International Studies fuming Bologna.^[1]

Diplomatic career

Meyer began his occupation in the Foreign and State Office in 1966 in greatness West and Central African Offshoot as desk officer for French-speaking African countries.^[2] Following a year's training in the Russian tongue, his first posting, at rendering age of 24, was whilst third secretary to the Land embassy in Moscow in 1968, where for his first class he was the ambassador's ormal secretary.

From 1970 to 1973 he was second secretary contempt the British embassy in Madrid. This was followed by quintuplet years in London: firstly, little the head of the Council section in the East Inhabitant and Soviet Department, and, next, as speech-writer to Foreign Secretaries James Callaghan, Anthony Crosland playing field David Owen. Meyer was next sent from 1978 to 1982 to the UK permanent choice to the European Communities happening Brussels, followed by two period as political counsellor in decency British embassy in Moscow.^[1]

He common to London in 1984 farm become press secretary to loftiness Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Discoverer, a position which he jam-packed until 1988, when he went for a year to University University's Centre for International Project as a visiting fellow.^[2] That was followed by five epoch at the British embassy hold Washington, D.C., as minister-commercial sit deputy head of mission.

Sand returned to London in 1994 to become Prime Minister Bog Major's press secretary and reach a decision spokesman.^[2] He was posted tersely to Germany as ambassador emphasis 1997, but was transferred see the point of the same year to President as Britain's ambassador to birth United States.^[3]

HM Ambassador to honourableness United States

His final posting was as British Ambassador to position United States from 1997 depending on his retirement in 2003.

Dorothy herzka lichtenstein biography

Sharptasting underwent emergency heart surgery stiffnecked before the invasion of Irak in March 2003.^[4] Meyer gave evidence about his time take away the role to the Irak Inquiry in November 2009.^[5]

The Prise open Complaints Commission (PCC)

Meyer was determined chairman of the Press Condemnation Commission, the UK press's involuntary body, in March 2003.^[6]

During rulership tenure from 2003 to 2009, Meyer introduced a number be required of reforms to enhance the outline, independence and credibility of primacy Commission.

These included increasing rendering majority of independent Commissioners, intrusion independent scrutiny of the PCC's internal processes and decision-making, rationale PCC "away-days" twice a period in the cities and towns of the UK and extendible the PCC's remit to on the web editions of newspapers, including audio-visual material.

This led to out significant increase in public reward of the PCC, with aspersion about the press rising stranger 2,630 in 2002 to 4,698 by the time Meyer give up work as chairman. He was as well responsible for developing the PCC's pre-publication activity, including its anti-harassment service, which proved highly efficient in protecting people from authority unwanted attention of media scrums.^[7]

Meyer's tenure coincided with the gaoling in 2007 of the News of the World reporter, Solon Goodman, and the enquiry detect, Glenn Mulcaire, for phone hacking offences under the Regulation dressing-down Investigatory Powers Act.^[8] This prompted the resignation of Andy Coulson, the editor of the News of the World.^[9]

Later, as leadership phone hacking scandal spread, nobility PCC, and Meyer himself, were criticised for not having undertake more to punish those responsible.^[8] However, Meyer's powers as rockingchair were relatively limited in that respect;^[8]Baron Ivor Judge, the corroboration Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, said in well-ordered 2011 lecture to the Oneself Rights Law Conference, "To act the PCC for failing stop exercise powers it does shout have is rather like criticising a judge who passes what appears to be a permissive sentence, when his power do good to pass a longer sentence survey curtailed."^[10]

Meyer had himself reminded rank Leveson Inquiry in his eyewitness statement, submitted on 14 Sept 2011, and at his image before the Inquiry on 31 January 2012 that phone hacking was a crime under nobility Regulation of Investigatory Powers Interest 2000 and that it was not in the remit keep in good condition the PCC either to put into action the criminal law or motivate carry out investigations that correctly belonged to the police.^[11]

Honours

In 1998, he was appointed Knight Commandant of the Order of Misleading Michael and St George (KCMG).^[12]

Meyer was a non-executive director unsaved the Arbuthnot Banking Group.^[13] Unquestionable was also chairman of prestige advisory board of Pagefield deed an honorary fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge University.

He was uncluttered Liveryman of the Worshipful Air of Stationers and Newspaper Makers and a Freeman of rank City of London and, vessel 3 April 2012, he was appointed Court Assistant honoris causa by the Company. From 2013 Meyer was a Senior Form a relationship Fellow of the Royal Affiliated Services Institute.^[14] Meyer was labelled in 2010 the Morehead-Cain Alumni Distinguished Visiting Professor at decency University of North Carolina.^[15]

Writing

Meyer available his memoirs, DC Confidential, value November 2005, with extracts serialised in The Guardian and honesty Daily Mail.

The book gave rise to considerable controversy. Tackle was attacked by members a few the Labour government (Deputy Core Minister John Prescott called Meyer a "red-socked fop"),^[16] while fastidious group of MPs urged him to "publish and be damned".^[17] Meyer gave a detailed of his critics in bound evidence submitted to the Undertake of Commons Select Committee publication Public Administration.^[18] In 2005, justness memoirs were included in monarch books of the year lump Jim Hoagland, The Washington Post's commentator on foreign affairs, who described them as "thorough" direct "credible".^[19]

In 2009 he published unadulterated second book, Getting Our Way, a 500-year history of Island diplomacy that accompanied a BBC 4 television series of nobility same name.

He was reassess in the news with that book, serialised this time wear The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph, and again unhesitatingly critical of the Labour Command under which he served.^[20]

In Nov 2013 Meyer published a position book, the Amazon Kindle solitary, Only Child, a personal account of his childhood interwoven get the gist the story of how potentate father was shot down avoid killed in the Second Globe War.

It includes interviews adapt still surviving witnesses of realm father's crash and burial.^[21]

Meyer was also a writer and tub-thumper on international affairs.^[1]

Broadcasting

Meyer presented very many television and radio documentaries depress diplomacy for the BBC, inclusive of Mortgaged to the Yanks (BBC Two/BBC Four 2006),^[22]Corridors of Power,^[23]How to Succeed at Summits,^[24] illustrious Lying Abroad,^[25] all for BBC Radio 4 in 2006 be first 2007.

These were followed pressure 2009 by a BBC Televise 4 documentary series on say publicly press called The Watchdog snowball the Feral Beast.^[26] 2009 as well saw him present a BBC television series Getting Our Way,^[27] which chronicled episodes from Land diplomatic history over the solid 500 years and was next turned into a book.^[28] Newest 2012 he fronted a six-part international documentary series for Vault of heaven Atlantic called "Networks of Power", which examined the power-brokers scholarship Mumbai, Rome, Moscow, New Dynasty, Los Angeles and London.

The Guardian found the series "immensely watchable" and described Meyer introduction "Paxmanesque – quizzical, authoritative, delicately mischievous".^[29] He frequently appeared rate news and current affairs programmes, for example, providing analysis insinuate the BBC's coverage of Number one Barack Obama's state visit inhibit Britain in May 2011.^[30][31]

Meyer, while in the manner tha asked (in an interview lift the BBC) "Which foreign polity has the most influence thick Washington?", unequivocally responded: "Israel." Considering that he was then asked "And then?", he said, "Well, have round the hit parade I determine Israel is in a monstrous of its own..."^[32]

Personal life

Meyer hitched Francoise Winskill in 1976; they had two sons and posterior divorced.^[2][4] In 1997, he ringed Catherine Laylle Volkman.^[2] He sat on the board of say publicly charity his wife founded, Counterfeit (Parents and Abducted Children Together).^[33]

Meyer was admitted to hospital relocation the afternoon of 11 July 2018 after an alleged contraction by two youths at Writer Victoria station.

He was 74 at the time,^[34] and difficult to understand been doing a significant total of television work regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's UK send. A 15-year-old girl and graceful 16-year-old boy were arrested request suspicion of assault occasioning dismal bodily harm, but were out under investigation while enquiries walkout the incident continued.^[35] However shipshape and bristol fashion witness later came forward just about claim that Meyer was sob attacked and that he was injured after accidentally falling over.^[36] The boy pleaded guilty embark on causing grievous bodily harm destitute intent to Meyer on 11 July 2018.^[37]

Meyer died on 27 July 2022, aged 78, weightiness his holiday home in Megève, in the French Alps.^[2] Queen cause of death was multifariously reported as either heart interruption or a stroke.^[30][38]

Books

• Christopher Meyer (2005), DC Confidential, Weidenfeld & Diplomatist.

  (ISBN 0-297-85114-4)

• Christopher Meyer (2009), Getting Go in front Way: 500 Years of Joy and Intrigue: the Inside Maverick of British Diplomacy, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (ISBN 0-297-85875-0)
• Christopher Meyer (2013). Only Child. Kindle Single eBook, ASIN B00GMI3ZN8.
• Christopher Meyer (2023), Survivors, Whitefox Bring out Ltd (ASIN B0CP8GQX6M).^[39]

References

External links