British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao
| British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau | |
|---|---|
| 英國駐香港及澳門總領事 | |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Consulate General of the United Kingdom in Hong Kong | |
| Member of | Consulate General of the United Kingdom in Hong Kong |
| Reports to | Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs |
| Appointer | The British Monarch advised by the Prime Minister |
| Formation | July 1997 |
| First holder | Francis Cornish |
The British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau (Chinese: 英國駐香港及澳門總領事is the highest diplomat the United Kingdom sends to Hong Kong and Macau after the Handover of Hong Kong in 1997, managing the Consulate General of the United Kingdom in Hong Kong. To emphasize British-Hong Kong relationship, the Consul-General does not have to report to the British Embassy in Beijing like other Consuls and Ambassadors to China, instead, the Consul-General directly reports to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
History
Prior to the Handover of Hong Kong to the PRC, the Governor of Hong Kong was the highest-level representative of the British Monarch in Hong Kong.
On 26 September 1996, an agreement was struck between the UK and the PRC, allowing the British to establish a consulate general in Hong Kong.
The Government of the United Kingdom then sent a démarche on 13 June 1997, declaring that Queen Elizabeth II had appointed then-Senior Trade Commissioner Francis Cornish as the first Consul General. Such appointment was ratified by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 20, and Cornish took office on July 1, becoming the highest-level British diplomat in Hong Kong following the takeover. [1]
Residence
The Governor had lived in Government House which was the official residence of the governor from 1855 to 1997.
The Consul-General had rented the penthouse of The Albany, a luxury residence in Mid-levels Central as his official residence from 1997 to 2004. In 2004, the official residence moved to a Fok family-owned mansion located on Island Road in Deep Water Bay. [2]
The 5th Consul-General, Andrew Seaton, moved the official residence to another flat of a luxury apartment in on Stanley Village Road in Stanley, [3] while still keeping another official residence on Mount Kellett Road on the Peak. [4]。
Following the 6th Consul-General Caroline Wilson taking office, she rented a flat in Opus Hong Kong, a luxury residence on Stubbs Road on Victoria Peak as her official residence. However, media estimated that Wilson rented the flat with £60,000/month {approximately HK$720,000), and that it was completely paid for by the British Government, leading to concerns of wasting public funds.[4]
List of Consul-generals
| Portrait | Name | Takes office | Left office | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
Francis Cornish 鄺富劭 |
July 1997 | November 1997 | ||
2
|
Sir Robert Andrew Burns 貝恩德爵士 |
November 1997 | June 2000 | ||
3
|
Sir James Hodge 何進爵士 |
August 2000 | November 2003 | ||
4
|
Stephen Bradley 柏聖文 |
December 2003 | March 2008 | ||
5
|
Andrew Seaton 奚安竹 |
April 2008 | September 2012 | ||
6
|
Caroline Wilson 吳若蘭 |
October 2012 | September 2016 | ||
7
|
Andrew Heyn 賀恩德 |
September 2016 | December 2020 | ||
(acting)
|
Tamsin Heath 何思婷 |
December 2020 | July 2021 | ||
8
|
Brian Davidson 戴偉紳 |
July 2021 | incumbent |
Related articles
- Consulate General of the United Kingdom in Hong Kong
- List of ambassadors of the United Kingdom to China
- Governor of Hong Kong
References
- ^ "外交部發言人宣布，中國同意鄺富劭為英國駐港總領事". 人民日報. 1997-06-20.
- ^ 鄺, 思穎 (2007-06-30). "英駐港總領事的古宅風情". 信報財經新聞: 11.
- ^ "英駐港總領事官邸遭爆竊". 東方日報. 2012-02-04. Archived from the original on 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ a b Parry, Simon (2013-06-08). "Our woman in Hong Kong... and her £35million flat that costs you £60,000 a month in rent". 每日郵報. Archived from the original on 2013-06-10. Retrieved 2013-06-10.