High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Brunei | |
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Foreign and Commonwealth Office British High Commission, Bandar Seri Begawan | |
Style | His Excellency |
Reports to | Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs |
Residence | Bandar Seri Begawan |
Appointer | The Crown on advice of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
Precursor | British Resident |
Inaugural holder | Dennis Charles White First High Commissioner to Brunei |
Formation | 29 September 1959 |
Website | British High Commission – Bandar Seri Begawan |
The High Commissioner from the United Kingdom to Brunei is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in Brunei, and in charge of the United Kingdom's diplomatic mission in Brunei.
Brunei was a British protectorate from 1888 until the state gained full independence on 1 January 1984. As fellow members of the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Kingdom and Brunei exchange High Commissioners rather than ambassadors. In 1958 the constitution was changed, the post of British Resident was abolished and the full on British High Commission for Brunei was established. [2] Sir Dennis Charles White, who had been appointed as Resident the previous year, became the first High Commissioner under the new Constitution. [3]
No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Monarch | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dennis Charles White | 29 September 1959 | 31 March 1963 | Elizabeth II | [4] |
2 | Angus MacKay Mackintosh | 1 April 1963 | 9 December 1963 | [5] [4] | |
3 | Edgar Ord Laird | 9 December 1963 | 1965 | [6] [7] | |
4 | Fernley Douglas Webber | 1 August 1965 | October 1967 | [8] [9] | |
5 | Arthur Robin Adair | December 1967 | January 1972 | [10] [11] | |
6 | Peter Gautrey | 12 January 1972 | 14 January 1975 | [12] | |
7 | James Alfred Davidson | January 1975 | 1978 | [13] | |
8 | Arthur Christopher Watson | October 1978 | 31 December 1983 | [14] [15] | |
9 | Robert Francis Cornish | 6 November 1983 | 5 August 1986 | [16] | |
10 | Roger Westbrook | 1986 | 1991 | [16] | |
11 | Adrian Sindall | 1991 | 1994 | [16] | |
12 | Ivan Roy Callan | 1994 | 1998 | [16] | |
13 | Stuart Laing | 1998 | 2002 | [17] | |
14 | Andrew Caie | 2002 | 2005 | [17] | |
15 | John Saville | 2005 | 2009 | [18] | |
16 | Rob Fenn | 2009 | 2013 | [19] | |
17 | David Campbell | 2013 | 2017 | [20] | |
18 | Richard Lindsay | 2017 | 2020 | [21] [22] | |
19 | John Virgoe | July 2020 | Incumbent | [23] |
Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien was the 28th Sultan of Brunei, reigning from 1950 until his abdication from the throne in 1967.
Kuala Belait is the administrative town of Belait District, Brunei. The population of the town proper was 4,259 in 2016. Kuala Belait is officially a municipal area, as well as a village under the mukim of the same name. The town is located 85 kilometres (53 mi) west of the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan, and 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Seria, the district's other town. It is also in the westernmost part of country, near the mouth of the Belait River.
Abdul Momin was the 24th Sultan of Brunei from 1852 until his death in 1885.
The prime minister of Brunei is the head of government of Brunei. Concurrently, the title is held by the sultan of Brunei, who as sultan is also the head of state of the country. As the prime minister, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan is the head of both the ministerial cabinet and the Legislative Council of Brunei.
Shah Berunai ibni Saiful Rijal Nurul Alam, also spelled as Shah Brunei, was briefly the ninth Sultan of Brunei.
Pengiran Jaya was a nobleman and the first Brunei local to be appointed as Brunei's Commissioner of the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) and appointed as the Brunei High Commissioner to several countries. Notably, he was also a member of the Legislative Council.
Australia and Brunei established diplomatic relations in 1984. Australia has a high commission in Bandar Seri Begawan, and Brunei has a high commission in Canberra.
Bubungan Dua Belas or House of Twelve Roofs is located in Jalan Residency, at the foot of Bukit Subok Forest Reserve Recreational Park and about one mile from south of the center of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It was formerly the official residence of British residents and high commissioners in Brunei and was built in 1906 during the tenure of the first resident Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur. Bubungan Dua Belas exemplifies the fusion of Brunei Malay architectural elements with Western influences, a transformation that was also shaped by the shift to onland living during the Residency period in Brunei. It is one of the oldest surviving building in Bandar Seri Begawan. It served as a gallery that exhibits the long-standing relationship between the sultanate and the United Kingdom. The museum is currently closed for renovations.
Mustappa bin Sirat is a diplomat and politician in the Government of Brunei. He took office as the Minister of Communications from 2015 to 2018 and also as the Deputy Minister of Defence.
The Istana Darussalam is the former residence of Omar Ali Saifuddien III and birthplace of Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. The palace is located at Jalan Darussalam, Sumbiling Lama, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The building has become a tourist attraction and currently under the protection of the Antiquities and Treasure Trove Act of the Museums Department.
The Istana Pantai is one of the temporary official residence of the then Sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The palace is located at Jalan Kuala Tutong, Tutong, Tutong District, Brunei. Moreover, the building has become a tourist attraction and historical site in the present day.
Major John Orman Gilbert, sometimes referred to as Tuan J.O. Gilbert, was a resident minister and formerly the British Resident to Brunei.
Major Edgar Ord Laird, sometimes referred to as AwangE.O. Laird, was a diplomat and formerly the British High Commissioner to Brunei.
Major Fernley Douglas Webber, sometimes referred to as Awang F.D. Webber, was a British diplomat and formerly the British High Commissioner to Brunei.
Major Arthur Robin Adair, sometimes referred to as Awang A.R. Adair, was a diplomat and formerly the British High Commissioner to Brunei. With nearly four years as High Commissioner for Brunei, he held the record for the longest tenure.
Captain Peter Gautrey DK, sometimes referred to as Dato Utama Peter Gauntrey, was a diplomat and formerly the British High Commissioner to Brunei, Swaziland and Guyana.
Abdul Hapidz bin Abdul Razak, also sometimes referred to as Pehin Hapidz, was a Bruneian nobleman, politician and businessman whom formerly was the Managing Director of Abdul Razak Holdings (ARH), President of Malay Brunei Darussalam Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1964 to 1999, the director of Laksamana College of Business (LCB), a member of the country's executive council, and legislative council.
Zakaria bin Sulaiman is a nobleman and politician in the Government of Brunei. He took office as the Minister of Communications from 1988 to 2005, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1986 to 1989.
Eric Ernest Falk Pretty (1891–1967) or commonly referred to as Dato Pretty, was a civil servant and resident minister who formerly held the position of British Resident to Brunei.
Yusoff bin Abdul Hamid is a retired diplomat and politician from Brunei who served as the Deputy Minister of Communications from 2005 to 2009, the high commissioner and ambassador to several countries, including the United States and United Kingdom.