Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

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1st March 2013 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

Science that helps keep us safe

On Wednesday evening we gave a reception at the British Embassy for scientists, soldiers and senior government officials from the US and the UK. The event was organised around a workshop presided by Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman of King’s College, London and Professor Eli Berman of UC San Diego, with the support of Research Councils […]

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6th December 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

Rethinking Development

Back in the days when tweeting was what birds did, a cloud was something in the sky, an app was what you sent to the university admissions office, and Google was simply a misprint for the word which means 10100, who’d have thought that mobile phones could improve the daily lives of the world’s poorest […]

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20th November 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

Austin Triumphs with Formula One

There is always a bit of uncertainty, even apprehension, when you embark on a big new adventure. So it was a real pleasure to witness on Sunday the great success, under a cloudless sky, that was Austin’s first ever Formula One Grand Prix motor race. A brand new racetrack, with a design which had rave […]

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29th October 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

Antony Gormley ‘Extends’ the Residence

Some people have garden gnomes, but here at the British Embassy in Washington, we’ve gone one better. Last Thursday we inaugurated a new sculpture on the lawn of the Ambassador’s Residence: ‘Extend’ , a remarkable work lent to us by one of Britain’s most highly-regarded sculptors, Turner Prize winner Antony Gormley. The sculptor himself was […]

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11th September 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

Witnessing history at the US Open

What a privilege to be at the Arthur Ashe stadium last night, for the final, so long-awaited triumph of a summer of extraordinary sporting success for our country! A roller-coaster of emotions ranging from joyous admiration to head-holding agony when it looked as though the prize might once again be slipping from Andy Murray’s grasp. […]

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17th July 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

An Ambassador’s perspective: Boston knows innovation

The Boston area is home to many of the most famous sites of America’s break from Britain – the Old State House, where the royal governors sat; the Old North Church that launched Paul Revere’s famous ride; the harbour where the first tea party took place; and battlefields like Bunker Hill, Lexington and Concord where […]

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12th July 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

Winning Gold in the Green Race

Today the UK is being recognized by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), for its efforts and achievement in energy efficiency. The ACEEE believes that “a country that uses less energy to achieve the same or better results reduces costs and pollution, creating a stronger, more competitive economy.” This is what we’re doing […]

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17th May 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

A GREAT Embassy Open House

It isn’t every day that you walk out of your house to find 10,000 people on your lawn. But on Saturday, for EU Embassy Open House day, that is what happened to me. From the time gates opened at 10:00—with quite a queue already formed—until they closed at 4:00, a steady stream of visitors turned […]

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9th May 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

Embassy Open House: Experience GREAT Britain in Washington

What is the first thing you think of when you think “United Kingdom?” Maybe it’s Buckingham Palace and the generations of kings and queens who have ruled the British Isles since Roman times. Maybe it’s the plays and poems of William Shakespeare, or the fortunes of your favourite Premier League side. Maybe it’s the complex, […]

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13th April 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

Strengthening Trade for Security and Prosperity

Today the US/UK Defence Trade Cooperation Treaty comes into effect. In a ceremony presided by Rose Gottemoeller, the acting US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, our two countries finalised an agreement originally signed five years ago to strengthen our mutual security and build our shared prosperity. British and American manufacturers […]

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About Peter Westmacott

Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO was the British Ambassador to the United States from January 2012 to January 2016. He was born in the village of Edington, Somerset in the…

Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO was the British Ambassador to the United States from January 2012 to January 2016.

He was born in the village of Edington, Somerset in the South West of
England in December 1950. He was educated at New College Oxford and
joined the Diplomatic Service in 1972.

After a year in the Middle East Department, and Persian language
training, Ambassador Westmacott was posted to Tehran in 1974. In 1978 he
was loaned to the European Commission in Brussels, before being posted
to Paris from 1980 to 1984.
After 3 years as Chief of Staff to successive Ministers of State in
London, he went to Ankara in 1987, for the first of his two diplomatic
postings to Turkey.
From 1990 to 1993, he was Deputy Private Secretary to HRH The Prince of Wales.
From 1993 to 1997, Ambassador Westmacott was Counsellor for Political
and Public Affairs in Washington, before returning to the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office as Director, Americas.
He joined the Board of the FCO in 2000 as Deputy Under Secretary and returned to Ankara as Ambassador in 2002.
In 2007 he moved to Paris where he served as Ambassador to France until the end of 2011.
Peter married Susie Nemazee in 2001. Between them they have four grown children, Oliver, Laura, Rupert and Safieh.