The principal private secretary to the secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs is the head of the private office of the foreign minister of His Majesty's Government, and is located in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Main Building.
At the start of the 19th century, the foreign secretary would have had one or two private secretaries, who were often personal appointments of the office-holder. As the complexity of British foreign policy grew significantly, and consequently the size of the private office expanded to provide policy and administrative support; the chief civil servant in the private office became the principal private secretary. Today, he or she is the head of a small department, and the post is a senior and prestigious one, now typically held for a two-year term by an experienced officer from the Diplomatic Service.[ citation needed ]
The post is director grade equivalent in the Civil Service (SCS2), and also equivalent to a rear admiral in the Royal Navy and major general in the British Army. Holders of the post often go on to hold some of the most senior ambassador posts overseas, and also often honoured with a knighthood.[ citation needed ]
This list below shows holders' names as they were at the time of holding the post; details of their later careers and honours can be found in individual articles. In addition, the list includes holders of the posts of private secretary to the secretary of state for foreign affairs and then principal private secretary to the secretary of state for foreign affairs (1822-1968). The office of secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs was created in 1968, by the merger of the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office's secretary of state's offices.[ citation needed ]
Sir Jeremy James Hanley, KCMG is a politician and former chartered accountant from the United Kingdom. He served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994 to 1995, and as a member of parliament (MP) representing the constituency of Richmond and Barnes from 1983 to 1997.
Sir Francis Hyde Villiers was a British civil servant and diplomat who was ambassador to Portugal and Belgium.
The private secretary to the prime minister for foreign affairs is a senior official in the British Civil Service who acts as the private secretary for all matters concerning foreign policy and international affairs to the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of this post has traditionally been a member of His Majesty's Diplomatic Service on secondment to the Cabinet Office, and reports directly to the principal private secretary to the prime minister.
Sir Bernard Eric Edward Barrington was a British civil servant who was principal private secretary to three Foreign Secretaries.
Lindsay Redvers Mark Seymour Croisdale-Appleby is a British diplomat and Head of the UK Mission to the European Union. Appointed in January 2021, he formally presented his credentials to the President of the European Commission on 29 July 2021. He was Ambassador to Colombia from 2012 to 2015.