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A diplomat and former soldier I have spent the last 5 years as Private Secretary and Head of the Household to Her Royal Highness Princess Anne [sister of His Majesty King Charles III] on loan from the Foreign Office. Duties involved responsibility for organising, planning and accompanying HRH on her official engagements as a member of the British Royal family.

Previous experience and roles have included Political Counsellor at the British Embassy Baghdad 2014-15 during the ISIS insurgency. From 2007-2008 I was also in Baghdad as the UK embassy Political implant to MNFI-HQ and Multi National Security Transition Command and NTM-I. In that time I travelled extensively around Iraq, including 4 weeks as Acting British consul in Erbil. I also worked in Kabul from 2004-05 covering the security sector reform programme. Other overseas diplomatic roles have included Political Counsellor Brazil [2017-2019], and Political/Military officer at the British embassy in Oslo. Within the Foreign Office I spent three years with responsibility for our budget and financial operation and was Head of the East Asia and Pacific department with particular responsibility for teams covering the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Mongolia and the nations of the south Pacific; all of which I visited in this time. I spent 6 years as an officer in a cavalry regiment equipped with Main Battle Tanks. Within the UK MOD I have also worked in the UK Intelligence Staff as a civilian analyst covering the FSU and conflicts following the fall of the FSU and was the policy officer for the UK nuclear deterrent.

I am married with two children. My wife is a diplomat and is to be the next British Ambassador to Finland. I have lived and travelled extensively in south Asia – Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.