Christopher Meyer
Encyclopedia
Sir Christopher John Rome Meyer, KCMG
(born 22 February 1944) is a former British Ambassador to the United States (1997–2003), former Ambassador to Germany (1997) and the former chairman of the Press Complaints Commission
(2003-2009). He is married to Catherine Meyer
, founder of the charity Parents & Abducted Children Together.
in Coastal Command of the RAF
who was killed in action over the Greek island of Ikaria 13 days before his son was born. Meyer was educated at Lancing
, the Lycee Henri IV
in Paris and Peterhouse
at the University of Cambridge
, where he graduated in History (he has been an Honorary Fellow of Peterhouse since 2002). After graduating, he attended the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies at Bologna
.
in 1966 in the West and Central African Department as desk officer for French-speaking African countries. Following a year's training in the Russian language, his first posting, at the age of 24, was as third secretary to the British embassy in Moscow in 1968, where for his first year he was the ambassador's private secretary. From 1970 to 1973 he was second secretary at the British embassy in Madrid. This was followed by five years in London, firstly, as the head of the Soviet section in the East European and Soviet Department; and,secondly, as speech-writer to three successive Foreign Secretaries: James Callaghan, Anthony Crosland and David (now Lord) Owen. Meyer was then sent from 1978 to 82 to the UK permanent representation to the European Communities in Brussels, followed by two years as political counsellor in the British embassy in Moscow. He returned to London in 1984 to become press secretary to the Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey (now Lord) Howe, a position which he occupied until 1988, when he went for a year to Harvard University's Centre for International Affairs as a Visiting Fellow. This was followed by five years at the British embassy in Washington as minister-commercial and deputy head of mission. He returned to London in 1994 to become Prime Minister John Major's press secretary and government spokesman. He was posted briefly to Germany as ambassador in 1997, but was transferred in the same year to Washington as Britain's ambassador to the United States.
in March 2003.
His tenure covered the time when the News International phone hacking scandal was first brought to the UK public's attention in 2006.
He left the Commission in 2009.
Meyer is a non-executive director of the Arbuthnot Banking Group.. He is also Chairman of the Advisory Board of Pagefield and an Honorary Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge University. He is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspapermakers and a Freeman of the City of London.
Meyer was named in 2010 the Morehead-Cain Alumni Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of North Carolina
.
He published his memoirs, DC Confidential, in November 2005, with extracts serialised in The Guardian
and the Daily Mail
. The book gave rise to considerable controversy. It was attacked by members of the Labour government, while a group of MPs urged him to “publish and be damned”. Meyer gave a detailed rebuttal of his critics in written evidence submitted to the House of Commons Select Committee on Public Administration. In 2005, the memoirs were included in his books of the year by Jim Hoagland, the authoritative Washington Post commentator on foreign affairs, who described them as “thorough” and “credible”.
In 2009 he published a second book, Getting Our Way, a 500-year history of British diplomacy that accompanied a BBC 4 television series of the same name. He was again in the news with this book, serialized this time in the Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph, and again openly critical of the Labour Government under which he served.
Meyer writes regularly for the Daily Mail on international affairs.
/BBC Four
2006), Corridors of Power, How to Succeed at Summits, and Lying Abroad, all for BBC Radio 4
in 2006 and 2007. These were followed in 2009 by a BBC Radio 4 documentary series on the press called The Watchdog and the Feral Beast. He has most recently presented his BBC television series Getting Our Way. He frequently appears on news and current affairs programmes, for example, providing analysis for the BBC's coverage of President Barack Obama
's state visit to Britain in May 2011. He is now making a 6-part international documentary series for Sky Atlantic called "Network of Power", which will air in the second half of 2012.
Meyer, when asked (in an interview with the BBC) "Which foreign government has the most influence on Washington?", unequivocally responded: "Israel
." When he was then asked "And then?", he said, "Well, in the hit parade I think Israel is in a class of its own..."
(née Laylle). He has two sons from a previous marriage, and two stepsons from his present marriage. He sits on the board of the charity his wife founded, PACT (Parents and Abducted Children Together).
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(born 22 February 1944) is a former British Ambassador to the United States (1997–2003), former Ambassador to Germany (1997) and the former chairman of the Press Complaints Commission
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
(2003-2009). He is married to Catherine Meyer
Catherine Meyer
Catherine Irene Meyer, Lady Meyer is the wife of Sir Christopher Meyer, the former British Ambassador to the United States. She is the founder of the charity Parents & Abducted Children Together .-Background and Career:...
, founder of the charity Parents & Abducted Children Together.
Early life and education
Meyer was born in 1944 to Reggie Meyer and his wife Eve. Reggie was a Flight LieutenantFlight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
in Coastal Command of the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
who was killed in action over the Greek island of Ikaria 13 days before his son was born. Meyer was educated at Lancing
Lancing College
Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
, the Lycee Henri IV
Lycée Henri IV
The Lycée Henri-IV is a public secondary school located in Paris. Along with Louis-le-Grand it is widely regarded as one of the most demanding sixth-form colleges in France....
in Paris and Peterhouse
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he graduated in History (he has been an Honorary Fellow of Peterhouse since 2002). After graduating, he attended the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies at Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
.
Diplomatic career
He began his career in the Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
in 1966 in the West and Central African Department as desk officer for French-speaking African countries. Following a year's training in the Russian language, his first posting, at the age of 24, was as third secretary to the British embassy in Moscow in 1968, where for his first year he was the ambassador's private secretary. From 1970 to 1973 he was second secretary at the British embassy in Madrid. This was followed by five years in London, firstly, as the head of the Soviet section in the East European and Soviet Department; and,secondly, as speech-writer to three successive Foreign Secretaries: James Callaghan, Anthony Crosland and David (now Lord) Owen. Meyer was then sent from 1978 to 82 to the UK permanent representation to the European Communities in Brussels, followed by two years as political counsellor in the British embassy in Moscow. He returned to London in 1984 to become press secretary to the Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey (now Lord) Howe, a position which he occupied until 1988, when he went for a year to Harvard University's Centre for International Affairs as a Visiting Fellow. This was followed by five years at the British embassy in Washington as minister-commercial and deputy head of mission. He returned to London in 1994 to become Prime Minister John Major's press secretary and government spokesman. He was posted briefly to Germany as ambassador in 1997, but was transferred in the same year to Washington as Britain's ambassador to the United States.
HM Ambassador to the United States
His final posting was as British Ambassador to the United States from 1997 until his retirement in 2003. Meyer gave evidence about his time in the role to the Iraq Inquiry in November 2009.The Press Complaints Commission
Meyer was appointed chairman of the UK press's self-regulating bodyPress Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
in March 2003.
His tenure covered the time when the News International phone hacking scandal was first brought to the UK public's attention in 2006.
He left the Commission in 2009.
Honours
In 1998, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II appointed him Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG).Meyer is a non-executive director of the Arbuthnot Banking Group.. He is also Chairman of the Advisory Board of Pagefield and an Honorary Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge University. He is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspapermakers and a Freeman of the City of London.
Meyer was named in 2010 the Morehead-Cain Alumni Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
.
Writing
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
. The book gave rise to considerable controversy. It was attacked by members of the Labour government, while a group of MPs urged him to “publish and be damned”. Meyer gave a detailed rebuttal of his critics in written evidence submitted to the House of Commons Select Committee on Public Administration. In 2005, the memoirs were included in his books of the year by Jim Hoagland, the authoritative Washington Post commentator on foreign affairs, who described them as “thorough” and “credible”.
In 2009 he published a second book, Getting Our Way, a 500-year history of British diplomacy that accompanied a BBC 4 television series of the same name. He was again in the news with this book, serialized this time in the Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph, and again openly critical of the Labour Government under which he served.
Meyer writes regularly for the Daily Mail on international affairs.
Broadcasting
Meyer has presented several television and radio documentaries on diplomacy for the BBC, including Mortgaged to the Yanks (BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
/BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
2006), Corridors of Power, How to Succeed at Summits, and Lying Abroad, all for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
in 2006 and 2007. These were followed in 2009 by a BBC Radio 4 documentary series on the press called The Watchdog and the Feral Beast. He has most recently presented his BBC television series Getting Our Way. He frequently appears on news and current affairs programmes, for example, providing analysis for the BBC's coverage of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's state visit to Britain in May 2011. He is now making a 6-part international documentary series for Sky Atlantic called "Network of Power", which will air in the second half of 2012.
Meyer, when asked (in an interview with the BBC) "Which foreign government has the most influence on Washington?", unequivocally responded: "Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
." When he was then asked "And then?", he said, "Well, in the hit parade I think Israel is in a class of its own..."
Personal life
Since 1997 he has been married to Catherine MeyerCatherine Meyer
Catherine Irene Meyer, Lady Meyer is the wife of Sir Christopher Meyer, the former British Ambassador to the United States. She is the founder of the charity Parents & Abducted Children Together .-Background and Career:...
(née Laylle). He has two sons from a previous marriage, and two stepsons from his present marriage. He sits on the board of the charity his wife founded, PACT (Parents and Abducted Children Together).
Books
- Christopher Meyer (2005), DC Confidential, Weidenfeld & Nicolson. (ISBN 0-297-85114-4)
- Christopher Meyer (2009), Getting Our Way: 500 Years of Adventure and Intrigue: the Inside Story of British Diplomacy, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (ISBN 0-297-85875-0)