Anthony Figgis
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Sir Anthony St John Howard Figgis, (born October 1940) was Her Majesty's Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of 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 ...
from 2001 to 2008. Unusually, he also held the post of Her Majesty's Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, from 1991 to 1996, when he became Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
.


Early life

Figgis was born in 1940, and educated at
Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...
and
King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...
.


Career

He joined
Her 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 ...
in 1962. Figgis' first overseas posting was as 3rd Secretary in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
in 1963. In 1965 he was assigned to the
Commonwealth Office The secretary of state for commonwealth affairs was a British Cabinet minister responsible for dealing with the United Kingdom's relations with members of the Commonwealth of Nations (its former colonies). The minister's department was the Common ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. He was 2nd Secretary (Political Residency) in
Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
from 1968 to 1970, when he rejoined the
Foreign and Commonwealth 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 ...
in London. Figgis' next posting was as
1st Secretary Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...
(Commercial) in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, where he was stationed 1971 to 1974. He was in the CSCE delegation at
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
1974 to 1975 and again at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London 1975 to 1979. He returned to Madrid in 1979, initially as Head of Chancery and then as Commercial Counsellor from 1980 to 1982. Figgis was assigned to Belgrade again in 1982, when he was made Counsellor, a post he held until 1985. From 1986 to 1988, Figgis was Head of the East European Department of the
Foreign and Commonwealth 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 ...
. He was then Counsellor and Head of
Chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...
in
Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
from 1988 to 1989. He was subsequently Director of Research, and then of Research and Analysis, at the
Foreign and Commonwealth 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 ...
from 1989 to 1991. From 1991 to 1996, Figgis was Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Her Majesty's Vice- Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps. He is a patron of Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB), a charity dedicated to reuniting children who have been separated from their families.


Awards and decorations

He became a
Freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...
of the
City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
in 1996, was appointed CMG in 1993 and was knighted as a KCVO in 1996. In 2002, he was appointed
Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod The usher of the Blue Rod, formally known as the Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod or Lady Usher of the Blue Rod is the Usher to the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, established in 1818. The office was simply designated a ...
, retiring in 2016.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Figgis, Anthony 1940 births Living people People educated at Rugby School Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Austria Marshals of the Diplomatic Corps Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order