Maeve Fort
Encyclopedia
Dame Maeve Geraldine Fort DCMG DCVO (19 November 1940 – 18 September 2008) was a British diplomat. During her posting as the United Kingdom's High Commissioner
in South Africa from 1996–2000, she was the highest ranking female diplomat in Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
.
, Maeve Geraldine Fort was the only child of a hospital administrator. She attended Nantwich
Grammar School, but left before completing her A-Levels when she discovered that Trinity College, Dublin
did not then require entrants to have taken them.
Despite an apparent lack of dedication academically, she achieved a sufficiently good degree in English and French to gain a scholarship for study at the Sorbonne
from the French government.
graduate, she had little chance of being selected. However, she became one of just twelve successful candidates to be appointed to the junior grade at the Foreign Office in 1962.
Postings to New York City
, Bangkok
(a secondment to SEATO), Bonn
and Lagos
followed, with appointment as an officer in the Diplomatic Service on 24 April 1973. She was later promoted to First Secretary
at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
, and in 1978 returned to New York as part of the UK's mission to the United Nations
. Here she began to specialise in African affairs, in particular on the Namibia
contact group, working towards a peaceful independence for Namibia. At one time she was told to prepare for a posting to the High Commission in Windhoek
(Namibia's capital), and she even got so far as holding a farewell party in New York, but the posting was suddenly cancelled.
for a year. She was then promoted to counsellor
and posted to Santiago, Chile
. She was recalled to the Foreign Office in 1986, serving as head of the West African department, and concurrently as non-resident Ambassador to Chad
. Chad was then considered too dangerous to host a resident ambassador due to the ongoing Chadian–Libyan conflict. She was then appointed Ambassador to Mozambique in 1989. Mozambique
was still in the throes of its civil war and Fort became involved in the negotiations to bring the conflict to and end, building contacts between President Joaquim Chissano
and the RENAMO leader, Afonso Dhlakama
. She was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1990 New Year Honours
.
In 1992 Fort volunteered to become Ambassador to Lebanon
, another dangerous posting. She had a close protection team of six bodyguards from the Royal Military Police
—Fort referred to them as "her boys". The situation in Lebanon was such that she lived in a fortified compound, and travelled in an armoured Range Rover
—her escape was walking in the Lebanese mountains, still accompanied by "the boys", one of whom carried her beloved dog, Chloe, a white Pomeranian
-Maltese cross, in a knapsack.
became the first black president of the country. She soon became a friend and confidant of Mandela and other high-ranking South Africans.
In 1997 her previous association with negiotations relating to Namibia and Mozambique proved useful again as the situation in Angola
deteriorated. She also hosted Prince Charles on an official visit, shortly after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales
. She was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in 1998, and became a rare "double dame" when she was appointed Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO) on 9 November 1999, during Queen Elizabeth II
's state visit to South Africa.
High Commissioner (Commonwealth)
In the Commonwealth of Nations, a High Commissioner is the senior diplomat in charge of the diplomatic mission of one Commonwealth government to another.-History:...
in South Africa from 1996–2000, she was the highest ranking female diplomat in Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom, dealing with foreign affairs, as opposed to the Home Civil Service, which deals with domestic affairs...
.
Early life
Born on 19 November 1940 in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Maeve Geraldine Fort was the only child of a hospital administrator. She attended Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
Grammar School, but left before completing her A-Levels when she discovered that Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
did not then require entrants to have taken them.
Despite an apparent lack of dedication academically, she achieved a sufficiently good degree in English and French to gain a scholarship for study at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
from the French government.
Early career
Fort decided to apply to join the Foreign Office despite the fact that she was advised that as a female, and not even an OxbridgeOxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
graduate, she had little chance of being selected. However, she became one of just twelve successful candidates to be appointed to the junior grade at the Foreign Office in 1962.
Postings to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
(a secondment to SEATO), Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
followed, with appointment as an officer in the Diplomatic Service on 24 April 1973. She was later promoted to First Secretary
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign 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...
, and in 1978 returned to New York as part of the UK's mission to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Here she began to specialise in African affairs, in particular on the Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
contact group, working towards a peaceful independence for Namibia. At one time she was told to prepare for a posting to the High Commission in Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
(Namibia's capital), and she even got so far as holding a farewell party in New York, but the posting was suddenly cancelled.
Chile, Mozambique and Lebanon
Fort returned to the UK in 1982 to study at the Royal College of Defence StudiesRoyal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
for a year. She was then promoted to counsellor
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
and posted to Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. She was recalled to the Foreign Office in 1986, serving as head of the West African department, and concurrently as non-resident Ambassador to Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
. Chad was then considered too dangerous to host a resident ambassador due to the ongoing Chadian–Libyan conflict. She was then appointed Ambassador to Mozambique in 1989. Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
was still in the throes of its civil war and Fort became involved in the negotiations to bring the conflict to and end, building contacts between President Joaquim Chissano
Joaquim Chissano
Joaquim Alberto Chissano served as the second President of Mozambique for nineteen years from 6 November 1986 until 2 February 2005. Since stepping down as president, Chissano has become an elder statesman and is called upon by international bodies, such as the United Nations, to be an envoy or...
and the RENAMO leader, Afonso Dhlakama
Afonso Dhlakama
Afonso Marceta Macacho Dhlakama is a Mozambican politician and the leader of RENAMO, an anti-communist guerrilla organization that fought the FRELIMO government in the Mozambican Civil War before signing a peace agreement and becoming an opposition political party in the early 1990s.Dhlakama was...
. She was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1990 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
.
In 1992 Fort volunteered to become Ambassador to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, another dangerous posting. She had a close protection team of six bodyguards from the Royal Military Police
Royal Military Police
The Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK, and whilst service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises.Members of the RMP are generally known as...
—Fort referred to them as "her boys". The situation in Lebanon was such that she lived in a fortified compound, and travelled in an armoured Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
—her escape was walking in the Lebanese mountains, still accompanied by "the boys", one of whom carried her beloved dog, Chloe, a white Pomeranian
Pomeranian (dog)
The Pomeranian is a breed of dog of the Spitz type, named for the Pomerania region in Central Europe . Classed as a toy dog breed because of its small size, the Pomeranian is descended from the larger Spitz type dogs, specifically the German Spitz...
-Maltese cross, in a knapsack.
South Africa
Fort was appointed High Commissioner to South Africa in 1996, two years after Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
became the first black president of the country. She soon became a friend and confidant of Mandela and other high-ranking South Africans.
In 1997 her previous association with negiotations relating to Namibia and Mozambique proved useful again as the situation in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
deteriorated. She also hosted Prince Charles on an official visit, shortly after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. She was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in 1998, and became a rare "double dame" when she was appointed Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO) on 9 November 1999, during Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
's state visit to South Africa.