27th May 2014 Washington DC, USA
A nice aspect of my job is that I rarely find myself at the Embassy on a weekend, but earlier this month I happened to spend the better part of a Saturday volunteering my time. It was a special occasion: on 10 May, EU embassies throughout Washington opened their doors for the EU’s Annual Open […]
9th May 2014 Pretoria, South Africa
As South Africans prepared to go to the polls Wednesday in the Republic’s fifth democratic national election since its first in 1994, I sat here in Chicago – 9,000 miles away and seven hours behind – keeping up with the news over a cup of tea and a heap of quickly-disappearing buttermilk rusks, South Africa’s crunchy pastry perfect […]
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8th May 2014 Bucharest, Romania
Today’s guest blogger is Kent Bolton, Hon. Secretary/Treasurer, RCHF (UK) and Hon. Treasurer for the sister foundation in the Netherlands, Stichting RCHF, who tells the story of one of the British volunteers making a difference in Romania. Here is his account: Brian Douglas first traveled to Romania in early 1994, delivering much needed aid, including […]
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5th May 2014
‘A nation that forgets its past has no future.’ Churchill’s words are still relevant today. On the 18-19 May HRH Prince Harry will visit Italy to attend a number of events commemorating the Allied Campaign in Italy during WWII, focussing on the 70th anniversary of the Battles of Monte Cassino. We are honoured that HRH […]
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4th April 2014
Relationships matter. Yesterday I had the honour of welcoming HM The Queen to Rome for private meetings with the President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano and Pope Francis (on which Ambassador to the Holy See, Nigel Baker accompanied). I had the privilege of accompanying Her Majesty on the flight over for her fourth visit to Italy […]
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17th March 2014 Warsaw, Poland
Up the Shard – Pardon me! You really need to check this place out for dinner – we did – please let me tell you about it…. Aqua Shard, located on level 31 of The Shard serves innovative contemporary British cuisine. The restaurant boasts breath-taking views from its main dining room, private dining room and […]
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7th March 2014
On Tuesday 11 March a group of officials from different British government departments will be in Rome to meet their Italian opposite numbers, to explain how our benefits system has changed and how it will work for those coming into the UK. On this topic, it is important to underline that we are not trying […]
27th February 2014 Washington DC, USA
British films up for Oscars this weekend showcase the UK as a GREAT home for creative industries! One of the many benefits of being a Brit in Washington has to be the ability to watch the many big TV events – which America does so well – at a reasonable hour. While staying up all […]
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14th February 2014
Spending Review often seems a very dry and technical subject. But bear with me. It really matters. Hardly a day goes by in Italy without the front pages of the national newspapers or headline news discussing the government’s intention to save €32bn over three years through a Spending Review led by Commissioner Carlo Cottarelli. Soon […]
15th January 2014
Pope Francis was very clear in his letter to the men on his first list of new cardinals since the beginning of his Pontificate. Being a Cardinal, he said, “means neither a promotion, an honour, nor a decoration; it is simply a service”. Simplicity, humility, sobriety and service are the benchmarks for Pope Francis’s cardinals, […]