Caroline Wilson (diplomat)

Dame Caroline Elizabeth Wilson DCMG (born 12 August 1970) is a British diplomat and lawyer who assumed office as the British Ambassador to China in September 2020.

Her Excellency
Dame Caroline Wilson
DCMG
Wilson in 2020
British Ambassador to China
Assumed office
September 2020
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Preceded byDame Barbara Woodward
British Consul-General to Hong Kong
In office
September 2012 – September 2016
Preceded byAndrew Seaton
Succeeded byAndrew Heyn
Personal details
Born
Caroline Elizabeth Wilson

(1970-08-12) 12 August 1970
Wimbledon, London, England
EducationSevenoaks School
Alma materDowning College, Cambridge (MA)
Université Libre de Bruxelles (MA)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese吳若蘭
Simplified Chinese吴若兰

Early life and education

Wilson was born on 12 August 1970. She was educated at Sevenoaks School before attending Downing College, Cambridge, where she gained an MA in law. She was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1993, then gained a degree in European Community law (licence spéciale en droit européen) at the Institute for European Studies of the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

Career

Wilson joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1995 and served in Beijing, Brussels and Moscow in various posts.[1][2] She was the Consul-General to Hong Kong and Non-Resident Consul General to Macau from 2012 to 2016.[3] She became Europe Director at the FCO in 2016.[2] She appeared in a 2018 BBC documentary titled Inside the Foreign Office, which saw her accompany then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on diplomatic engagements in Europe.[4]

In June 2020, she was appointed as British Ambassador to China; she succeeded Dame Barbara Woodward in September 2020.[5]

In November 2021, The Times and other newspapers reported "a row" between British foreign secretary Liz Truss and Wilson relating to a letter Wilson had sent to National Security Council members about relations with the Chinese government, questioning Truss's hawkish stance against China.[6]

Personal life

In addition to her native English, Wilson speaks French, German, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, and Cantonese.[2]

Honours

Wilson was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2016 New Year Honours[7] and Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to British foreign policy.[8]

She was called as a Bencher at Middle Temple in 2013.[9] In 2018, she became an honorary fellow of Downing College, Cambridge.[2]

References
  1. "Wilson, Caroline Elizabeth". Who's Who 2018. 1 December 2017.
  2. "Caroline Wilson CMG". GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  3. "Change of Her Majesty's Consul General to Hong Kong". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 21 March 2012.
  4. "Inside the Foreign Office: BBC Documentary featuring Caroline Wilson". University College London. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  5. "Caroline Wilson appointed as Her Majesty's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China" (Press release). Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  6. Ni, Vincent (17 November 2021). "'Little Britain': Chinese media weigh in on reports of spat between Liz Truss and UK envoy". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  7. "No. 61450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N4.
  8. "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N3.
  9. "Masters of the Bench – Caroline Wilson CMG". Middle Temple.
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