Caroline Wilson (diplomat)

Dame Caroline Elizabeth Wilson DCMG (born 12 August 1970) is a British diplomat and lawyer who assumed office as the British Ambassador to China in September 2020.

Dame Caroline Wilson

DCMG
Wilson in 2020
British Ambassador to China
Assumed office
September 2020
MonarchElizabeth II
PresidentXi Jinping
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byDame Barbara Woodward
British Consul-General to Hong Kong
In office
September 2012 – September 2016
Preceded byAndrew Seaton
Succeeded byAndrew Heyn
Personal details
Born
Caroline Elizabeth Wilson

(1970-08-12) 12 August 1970
Wimbledon, London, England
EducationSevenoaks School
Alma materDowning College, Cambridge (MA)
Université Libre de Bruxelles (MA)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese吳若蘭
Simplified Chinese吴若兰

Early life and education

Wilson was born on 12 August 1970. She was educated at Sevenoaks School before attending Downing College, Cambridge, where she gained an MA in law. She was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1993, then gained a degree in European Community law (licence spéciale en droit européen) at the Institute for European Studies of the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

Career

Wilson joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1995 and served in Beijing, Brussels and Moscow in various posts.[1][2] She was the Consul-General to Hong Kong and Non-Resident Consul General to Macau from 2012 to 2016.[3] She became Europe Director at the FCO in 2016.[2] She appeared in a 2018 BBC documentary titled Inside the Foreign Office, which saw her accompany then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on diplomatic engagements in Europe.[4]

In June 2020 she was appointed as British Ambassador to China; she succeeded Dame Barbara Woodward in September 2020.[5]

Personal life

In addition to her native English, Wilson speaks French, German, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, and Cantonese.[2]

Honours

Wilson was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2016 New Year Honours[6] and Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to British foreign policy.[7]

She was called as a Bencher at Middle Temple in 2013.[8] In 2018 she became an honorary fellow of Downing College, Cambridge.[2]

References
  1. "Wilson, Caroline Elizabeth". Who's Who 2018. 1 December 2017.
  2. "Caroline Wilson CMG". GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  3. "Change of Her Majesty's Consul General to Hong Kong". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 21 March 2012.
  4. "Inside the Foreign Office: BBC Documentary featuring Caroline Wilson". University College London. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  5. "Caroline Wilson appointed as Her Majesty's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China" (Press release). Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  6. "No. 61450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N4.
  7. "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N3.
  8. "Masters of the Bench – Caroline Wilson CMG". Middle Temple.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Andrew Seaton		 British Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macao
2012–2016		 Succeeded by
Andrew Heyn
Preceded by
Dame Barbara Woodward		 British Ambassador to China
2020–present		 Incumbent
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