Caroline Wilson (diplomat)
{{short description|British diplomat (born 1970)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Her Excellency
| name = Dame Caroline Wilson
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|DCMG}}
| image = S960 Caroline Wilson photo.jpg
| caption = Wilson in 2020
| office = British Ambassador to China
| term_start = September 2020
| term_end =
| predecessor = Dame Barbara Woodward
| monarch = Elizabeth II
Charles III
| primeminister = Boris Johnson
Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Sir Keir Starmer
| office1 = British Consul-General to Hong Kong
| term_start1 = September 2012
| term_end1 = September 2016
| predecessor1 = Andrew Seaton
| successor1 = Andrew Heyn
| birth_name = Caroline Elizabeth Wilson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|8|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Wimbledon, London, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| education = Sevenoaks School
| alma_mater = Downing College, Cambridge (MA)
Université libre de Bruxelles (MA)
| occupation =
| spouse =
| children =
| module = {{Chinese
| child = yes
| t = 吳若蘭
| s = 吴若兰
| j = Ng4 Joek6laan4
| p = Wú Ruòlán
| c =
| mi =
| ci =
| altname =
}}
}}
Dame Caroline Elizabeth Wilson {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100&|DCMG}} (born 12 August 1970) is a British diplomat and lawyer who assumed office as the British Ambassador to China in September 2020.
Early life and education
Wilson was born on 12 August 1970. She was educated at Sevenoaks School (Sixth Form) and attended 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.{{cite book |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-257921 |title=Wilson, Caroline Elizabeth |work=Who's Who 2018 |date=1 December 2017|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U257921 |isbn=978-0-19-954088-4 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/caroline-wilson |title=Caroline Wilson CMG |website=GOV.UK|access-date=16 June 2020}} She was the Consul-General to Hong Kong and Non-Resident Consul General to Macau from 2012 to 2016.{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-her-majestys-consul-general-to-hong-kong |title=Change of Her Majesty's Consul General to Hong Kong |publisher=Foreign & Commonwealth Office |date=21 March 2012}} She became Europe Director at the FCO in 2016. 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/european-institute/news/2018/dec/inside-foreign-office-bbc-documentary-featuring-caroline-wilson|title=Inside the Foreign Office: BBC Documentary featuring Caroline Wilson|publisher=University College London|date=5 December 2018|access-date=16 June 2020}}
In June 2020, she was appointed as British Ambassador to China; she succeeded Dame Barbara Woodward in September 2020.{{Cite press release|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/caroline-wilson-appointed-as-her-majestys-ambassador-to-the-peoples-republic-of-china |title=Caroline Wilson appointed as Her Majesty's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China |publisher=Foreign & Commonwealth Office|date=15 June 2020|access-date=16 June 2020}}
In November 2021, The Times and other newspapers reported "a row" between British foreign secretary Liz Truss and Wilson relating to a letter Wilson had sent to National Security Council members about relations with the Chinese government, questioning Truss's hawkish stance against China.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/17/little-britain-chinese-media-weigh-in-on-reports-of-spat-between-liz-truss-and-uk-envoy |title='Little Britain': Chinese media weigh in on reports of spat between Liz Truss and UK envoy |last=Ni |first=Vincent |newspaper=The Guardian |date=17 November 2021 |access-date=18 November 2021}}
Personal life
Honours
Wilson was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2016 New Year Honours{{London Gazette |issue=61450 |supp=y |date=30 December 2015 |page=N4}} 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.{{London Gazette|issue=63218|supp=y|page=N3|date=31 December 2020}}
She was called as a Bencher at Middle Temple in 2013.{{cite web |url=https://www.middletemple.org.uk/bencher-persons-view?cid=33825 |title=Masters of the Bench – Caroline Wilson CMG |publisher=Middle Temple}} In 2018, she became an honorary fellow of Downing College, Cambridge.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
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{{s-bef|before=Andrew Seaton}}
{{s-ttl|title=British Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macao|years=2012–2016}}
{{s-aft|after=Andrew Heyn}}
{{s-bef|before=Dame Barbara Woodward}}
{{s-ttl|title=British Ambassador to China|years=2020–present}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Caroline}}
Category:Dames Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Category:People educated at Sevenoaks School
Category:Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge
Category:Members of the Middle Temple
Category:Université libre de Bruxelles alumni
Category:British women diplomats