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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

26th April 2014

Royal couple and baby George wow Australia

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Uluru

The visit to Australia by Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has been an outstanding success. It has clearly been a very special experience for the young Royal couple themselves and for the tens of thousands of Australians who have turned out to see them, and the millions who have followed the intense media coverage.

TRHs The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Uluru
TRHs The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Uluru

For the last ten days Their Royal Highnesses have traversed Australia, visiting NSW, Queensland, NT, South Australia and Canberra, accompanied by a huge media pack. They have seen some of the best of Australia including the volunteer community, sports, the military and indigenous groups. Youth has been a strong theme. Baby Prince George has attracted massive interest. At Sydney’s Taronga Zoo he met his namesake George the Bilby – the native marsupial was a birth gift from the previous government.

Many people assume that we at the British High Commission were involved in organising the visit. But in fact, as Australia has HM The Queen as its Head of State, it is the Australian government who run the whole programme for TRHs as members of Australia’s Royal Family. They arranged for the Royal couple to visit some of Australia’s most iconic tourist landmarks, from Sydney Opera House and the Blue Mountains, to Uluru. The imagery looked spectacular for the huge international TV audience. I’m sure it will be a boost to Australia’s tourist industry.

Both Royals told me how much they’d enjoyed the visit. As I listened to HRH the Duke addressing a reception at the Australian Parliament, his enormous enthusiasm for Australia shone through. He described it as a magnet for visitors, and noted that it is known as the Lucky Country, but “the harder you work, often the luckier you get”. The affection was mutual: the welcome speeches by PM Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten were as warm as the greetings from the massed spectators who have followed them around the country.

Many people were very touched that TRHs attended the Dawn Service on ANZAC Day, which begins at 0500am, at Canberra’s National War Memorial. It added a particular poignancy to what is always a very special event and an important part of Australia’s sense of national identity.

TRHs The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the National War Memorial
TRHs The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the National War Memorial

About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.

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Anzac Day Australian War Memorial canberra Duke and Duchess of Cambridge HRH Prince George Royal visit