Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Read biography

1st August 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

2012 London Olympic opening

Guest blog by Olympic Torch Bearer Andrea Snow After my “moment of shine” experience just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege to be present at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012. That day something special was in the air. The XXXth Olympiad, the 2012 summer Olympic Games Grand opening was a wonderful […]

Read more on 2012 London Olympic opening | Reply

31st July 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Olympic D-Day

Well it’s tough to write about anything but the Olympics right now. At last the day has come and the competition is on for more than 10,000 athletes from 205 countries. And so far it’s every bit as exciting as we’d hoped. Did you see the opening ceremony? We organised a small event on Friday […]

Read more on Olympic D-Day | Reply

23rd July 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Better together

I’m very proud of how inclusive a place the UK is. We welcome all kinds of people: whatever their race, religion or minority group. And there are great benefits from doing that. I believe this attitude is not just good for the people who come to the UK or who live there and are not […]

Read more on Better together | Reply

17th July 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

The honour of being an Olympic Torch Bearer

Guest blog by Olympic Torch Bearer Andrea Snow It is magical being one of those 8,000 inspirational people, who carry the Olympic Flame as it journeys across UK before the Olympic Games begin on 27 July, 2012. Weymouth, 13 July 2012 I had several minutes of “flame” and a truly wonderful “moment to shine”; a […]

Read more on The honour of being an Olympic Torch Bearer | Reply

6th July 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Queen’s Birthday Party

I’ve wanted to blog about our Queen’s Birthday Party for a little while now.  But first we got very busy in the Embassy with preparations for the European Council and then I went down to the Balaton for a couple of days.  Now things are a little more back to normal and I’m catching up. […]

Read more on Queen’s Birthday Party | Reply

22nd June 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

The UK and the Eurozone

The Euro zone crisis has dominated the news this week: whether it’s the Spanish banks, the Greek elections or comments at the G20 Los Cabos meeting. The UK, of course, isn’t a euro zone member. But this crisis and its outcomes are vitally important to us. In the face of speculation in some media sources […]

Read more on The UK and the Eurozone | Reply (1)

10th June 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Hot in the city

I’ve completed a 7 km run in the heat of a sunny, summer Budapest today. I’m exhausted. I did it as part of an Embassy team: six of us running in relay and so completing a marathon between us. Our aim was to help the Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) raise money to buy a […]

Read more on Hot in the city | Reply

7th June 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

A Diamond weekend

Did you see the celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this weekend? I thought they were spectacular. The procession of boats down the river Thames was majestic. The concert outside Buckingham Palace was fabulous and star-studded. And the street parties around the UK looked like such joyful occasions. Certainly the one I went to at […]

Read more on A Diamond weekend | Reply

17th May 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Holding back the tears

I’ve been away from Budapest for the last two weeks. For the first time I went back to London to the annual gathering of all British Ambassadors from around the world. It was my first time there and so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But the week was really good. The PM, Chancellor and […]

Read more on Holding back the tears | Reply

30th April 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report – 2011

Guest blog by Levente Nyitrai, Policy Officer, British Embassy Budapest Today marks an important occasion in the United Kingdom and the field of human rights worldwide. William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, is launching the Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report for 2011 in London. He is laying the report in Parliament after which he is […]

Read more on Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report – 2011 | Reply

About Jonathan Knott

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take up his post. He left this post on April…

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to
Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take
up his post. He left this post on April 2015.
He has previously held a variety of diplomatic posts at home and
abroad, several with a particular focus on commercial and corporate
finance issues. Jonathan has served in a number of positions in the
British Diplomatic Service since joining in 1988:
Before his appointment was Deputy Head of Mission and Director for Trade and Investment in South Korea from 2008 to 2011.Between 2005 and 2008 he held the post of Deputy Finance Director in the FCO.From 2000 to 2005 he served as First Secretary (Trade, Corporate Affairs and Finance Negotiator) in UKDel OECD Paris.From 1996 to 2000 he was First Secretary (Head of Political/Economic/Aid Section) in Mexico.From 1995 to 1996 he worked in the FCO as Deputy European Correspondent at the EU Directorate.Between 1991 and 1995 he served as Third later Second Secretary (Political / Press and Public Affairs) in Havana.From 1990 to 1991 he was Desk Officer in the FCO’s First Gulf War Emergency Unit.Between 1988 and 1990 he worked as Desk Officer in the FCO in the Anti Drugs Cooperation Department.
Jonathan holds an MA in law from Oxford University, and he is a
member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He speaks
English, French, Spanish and Hungarian. He is married to Angela Susan
Knott and has one daughter and two sons.

Follow Jonathan