British Embassy, Washington D.C.
The "new" chancery, finished 1961
LocationUnited States Washington, D.C.
Address3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Coordinates38°55′11″N 77°03′40″W / 38.91972°N 77.06111°W / 38.91972; -77.06111
AmbassadorDame Karen Pierce since 23 March 2020[1][2]
Websitewww.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-washington
Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C. is located in the District of Columbia
Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C.
The embassy's location in Washington, D.C.

The British Embassy, Washington D.C. (alternatively in the US, Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C.) is the British sovereign's diplomatic mission to the United States of America, representing the interests of the United Kingdom and British Government. It is located at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. The embassy compound includes the chancery offices, as well as the British Ambassador's residence.

Consulates

Outside Washington, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO; often commonly known simply as the Foreign Office) also maintains consulates-general in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, and San Francisco, headed by consuls-general. There are also British Consulates called (instead) the UK Government Offices in Denver, and in Seattle, headed by consuls.

Area

The embassy is situated in a compound that includes the ambassador's residence, as well as the old and new chanceries. The residence was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens to resemble an English country manor, with the old chancery facing the street. By the 1950s, the old chancery was deemed too cramped, and the new chancery, designed by chief architect Eric Bedford was constructed from 1955 to 1961, with Queen Elizabeth II laying the foundation stone on 19 October 1957.[3] Part of the old chancery was converted into staff quarters, and the rest is currently occupied by the offices of the British Council. The British government was the first nation to build an embassy in the area that would later become known as Embassy Row.

Outside the British ambassador's residence stands a statue of Sir Winston Churchill. One of the statue's feet is inside the marked embassy grounds; the other is within the District of Columbia. The embassy's website states that this symbolizes Churchill's Anglo-American parentage (his father was British, his mother American) and his status as an honorary citizen of the United States.[4]

The gardens of the ambassador's residence were planted by Elizabeth Sherman Lindsay. Lady Lindsay was a landscape gardener and wife of Sir Ronald Lindsay, the British ambassador to Washington from 1930 to 1939.[5]

Staff

The embassy is one of the largest in Washington, employing 210 diplomats and approximately 250 additional staffers. Dame Karen Pierce was appointed on 7 February 2020[1] following the resignation of her predecessor, Sir Kim Darroch, due to a diplomatic row between the US and UK as a result of a leaked memo describing President Donald Trump as "inept".[6] Dame Karen was accredited by the State Department and formally took office on 23 March.[2]

Events

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh with President Gerald Ford at the British Embassy in July 1976
Director Greta Gerwig at an event for Barbie at the British Embassy in July 2023

On June 8, 1939, the embassy, hosted by Ambassador Sir Ronald Lindsay, held a garden party for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the first time that reigning British monarchs had visited the United States.[7]

On February 11, 1964, a reception was held there for The Beatles, who had played their first concert in America earlier that day at the Washington Coliseum.[8]

On July 7, 2005, the United States Army Band played "God Save the Queen" outside the embassy in remembrance of the victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings.[9] This mirrored the Band of the Coldstream Guards' unprecedented performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the Changing of the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace on September 13, 2001 in remembrance of the victims of the September 11 attacks in the United States.[10][11]

On September 9, 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle, the embassy opened a condolence book. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited the embassy and its staff, including Dame Karen, delivered flowers and were the first to sign the condolence book.[12][13] Secretary of State Antony Blinken was among those who also signed.

In July 2023, the British Embassy held a reception for the Barbie film, which was filmed primarily in the UK, with director Greta Gerwig.[14][15]

Film depiction

The embassy was depicted in fiction in the 2006 BBC Television miniseries The State Within.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Wintour, Patrick (7 February 2020). "Karen Pierce appointed first female British ambassador to US". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 Pierce, Karen [@KarenPierceUK] (March 23, 2020). "Delighted to be accredited by @StateDept this afternoon as the new UK Ambassador. For me, the US is the UK's single most important bilateral relationship. We share experiences in war and peace, in defence, in commerce and now in tackling the coronavirus crisis" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ "A History of the Gardens of the Ambassador's Residence, British Embassy, Washington". Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  4. ↑ CHURCHILL, Winston: Statue at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. by William McVey located in James M. Goode's Massachusetts Avenue area Archived 2011-08-19 at the Wayback Machine. Dcmemorials.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-24.
  5. ↑ Ames, Olivia, editor (1960). The Letters of Elizabeth Sherman Lindsay, 1911–1954. New York: Privately printed. OCLC 81817859.
  6. ↑ "Sir Kim Darroch resigns as UK ambassador to US". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  7. ↑ http://washingtonembassygardens.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/the-royal-garden-party/ Archived 2014-03-03 at the Wayback Machine The Royal Garden Party: A History of the Gardens of the Ambassador's Residence, British Embassy, Washington. Retrieved on 2014-02-09.
  8. ↑ John Lennon Interview: British Embassy, Washington D.C. 2/11/1964 – Beatles Interviews Database Archived 2012-03-21 at the Wayback Machine. Beatlesinterviews.org (1964-02-11). Retrieved on 2013-08-24.
  9. ↑ CNN.com – Transcripts Archived 2010-11-29 at the Wayback Machine. Transcripts.cnn.com (2005-07-08). Retrieved on 2013-08-24.
  10. ↑ Kelso, Paul (14 September 2001). "US anthem played at changing of the guard". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  11. ↑ Graves, David (14 September 2001). "Palace breaks with tradition in musical tribute". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  12. ↑ Massie, Graeme (8 September 2022). "Biden signs condolence book for Queen Elizabeth at UK embassy in Washington DC". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  13. ↑ Pierce, Karen [@KarenPierceUK] (September 8, 2022). "Honoured that @POTUS & @FLOTUS were the first to sign the condolence book for Her Majesty The Queen @UKinUSA. Thank you for your typically generous words and warm memories of Her Majesty" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ Sharp, Rachel (19 July 2023). "Matt Gaetz's wife calls for Barbie boycott after posing in pink on red carpet". The Independent.
  15. ↑ Roche, Darragh (19 July 2023). "'Barbie' boycott calls grow among Republicans over movie's "woke messaging"". Newsweek.
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