Richard Sykes (diplomat)
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Sykes was the British Ambassador to the Netherlands
, who was killed by the IRA
in The Hague
in 1979. Footman Karel Straub was also killed, both being shot in the head as they left the ambassador's residence for the short trip to the embassy.
He served in Havana
, Peking and Washington
, and was Deputy Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
prior to his appointment to the Netherlands in 1977.
He was married to Ann (Lady Sykes) and they had three children.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, who was killed by the IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in 1979. Footman Karel Straub was also killed, both being shot in the head as they left the ambassador's residence for the short trip to the embassy.
He served in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Peking and Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and was Deputy Under Secretary of State 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...
prior to his appointment to the Netherlands in 1977.
He was married to Ann (Lady Sykes) and they had three children.