Michael Scott Weir

Sir Michael Scott Weir, KCMG (28 January 1925 – 22 June 2006) was a British diplomat.

For other people named Michael Weir, see Michael Weir (disambiguation).

Michael Scott Weir
KCMG
British Ambassador to Egypt
In office
1979–1985
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byWillie Morris[1]
Succeeded byAlan Urwick[1]
Personal details
Born(1925-01-25)25 January 1925
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Died22 June 2006(2006-06-22) (aged 81)
London, England
Spouses
Alison Walker
​
​
(m. 1953; div. 1974)​
    Hilary Reid
    ​
    (m. 1976)​
    Children6 (including Arabella Weir

    Early life and career

    He was born in Dunfermline, Fife, where his father was a primary school teacher.[2]

    Weir went on a state scholarship to study oriental languages at the School of Oriental and African Studies in 1942. A year later he joined the Royal Air Force, which sent him to London University to learn Persian. He was then posted as an intelligence officer, including to Burma and Iraq.

    After demobilisation in 1947, he went to Balliol College, Oxford where he read classics[3]. He joined the Foreign Service in 1950, and quickly became one of its leading Arabists. His early postings included Bahrain, Doha and Sharjah. Weir's career culminated with his appointment as the United Kingdom's ambassador to Egypt (1979–1985).[4] In 1981, he was sitting behind Egyptian President Anwar Sadat when the president was assassinated at a military parade.[5]

    Weir retired from the Foreign Service in 1985. He served as president of the Egypt Exploration Society (1988–2006) and Director of the 21st Century Trust (1990–2000). He was the founding Chairman of the British Egyptian Society in 1990 and continued as Chairman until 2006. The society has been sponsoring the Sir Michael Weir Annual Lecture in his honour.[6]

    Family

    Weir met his first wife, Alison Walker, at Oxford. They were married from 1953 until 1974 and had four children, including writer and comedian Arabella Weir. In 1976, Weir married Hilary Reid, with whom he had two children. He died in London on 22 June 2006.[2]

    Honours

    He was appointed CMG in 1974 and KCMG in 1980.

    References
    1. Craig, James (27 July 2016). Shemlan: A History of the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies. Springer. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-349-14413-6.
    2. Darwish, Adel (28 June 2006). "Obituary: Sir Michael Weir – Diplomat and Arabist". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
    3. Graham, John (2 July 2006). "Sir Michael Weir". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
    4. "Previous Ambassadors". UK in Egypt: The official website for the British Embassy in Egypt. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
    5. "Sir Michael Weir". The Scotsman. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
    6. "The 9th Sir Michael Weir Annual Lecture to be delivered by Dame Minouche Shafik". British Egyptian Society. Retrieved 18 August 2019.


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