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Robin Renwick, Baron Renwick of Clifton

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The Right Honourable
The Lord Renwick of Clifton
KCMG
Clifton speaking in Parliament, 2015
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage
26 September 1997 – 31 March 2018
British Ambassador to the United States
In office
1991–1995
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded bySir Antony Acland
Succeeded bySir John Kerr
British Ambassador to South Africa
In office
1987–1991
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime Minister
Preceded bySir Patrick Moberly
Succeeded bySir Anthony Reeve
Personal details
Born
Robin William Renwick

(1937-12-13)13 December 1937
Clifton, York, England
Died4 November 2024(2024-11-04) (aged 86)
Children3
Alma materJesus College, Cambridge

Robin William Renwick, Baron Renwick of Clifton, KCMG (13 December 1937 – 4 November 2024) was a British diplomat, author and a member of the House of Lords who served as British ambassador to South Africa (1987−1991) and the United States (1991−1995).[1][2]

Early life and education

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Born in Clifton, York, to Richard Renwick, a pharmacist, and Clarice Henderson, he won a scholarship to St Paul's School in London. After completing his national service as a despatch rider in Malta and Libya, he studied at Jesus College, Cambridge (which made him an honorary fellow in 1992) and later at the Sorbonne in France.[1][2]

Career

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Renwick joined the Foreign Office in 1962 and was posted to Dakar, New Delhi and Paris, as well as serving as private secretary to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Godber (1970−1972), and in the Cabinet Office. In 1978 he joined the Foreign and Commomwealth Office's Rhodesia department, where he helped organise the conferences that led to the Lancaster House Agreement, and in 1980 was a political adviser to Christopher Soames, the last colonial Governor of Southern Rhodesia.[1][2]

After a brief sabbatical at Harvard University in the United States, Renwick worked in the British embassy in Washington before returning to London in 1984 as assistant under-secretary for Europe at the time of Margaret Thatcher's negotiation of the British rebate in the budget of the European Economic Community. He later served as the British ambassador to South Africa (1987−1991) during negotiations to end apartheid[3] and to the United States (1991−1995).[1][2]

Having retired from the diplomatic service, Renwick advised Tony Blair on foreign policy. He entered private business, serving on the boards of various companies, including Robert Fleming & Co., Richemont and J.P. Morgan & Co.[1][2]

Personal life and death

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Renwick was married twice: first, in 1965, to Anne-Collette Guidicelli, whom he had met at the Sorbonne and with whom he had a daughter and a son; and second to Ann Bracken, with whom he had another son.[1][2][4]

Lord Renwick died from complications of lung disease, on 4 November 2024, at the age of 86.[1][2]

Honours

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Renwick was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1980 New Year Honours[5] and was promoted to Knight Commander (KCMG) in the 1989 New Year Honours.[6]

He was given a life peerage as Baron Renwick of Clifton, of Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, on 26 September 1997.[7] He initially sat as a Labour peer but became a crossbencher in 2007. He retired from the House of Lords in 2018.[8]

Bibliography

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Renwick was the author of several books:[2]

  • A True Statesman: George H. W. Bush and the 'Indispensable Nation' (London: Biteback Publishing, 2023) ISBN 9781785907845
  • Not Quite A Diplomat: A Memoir (London: Biteback Publishing, 2019) ISBN 9781785904592
  • How to Steal a Country: State Capture and Hopes for the Future in South Africa (London: Biteback Publishing, 2018) ISBN 9781785903618
  • Fighting With Allies: America and Britain in Peace and War (London: Biteback Publishing, 2016) ISBN 9781849549790
  • The End of Apartheid Diary of a Revolution (London: Biteback Publishing, 2015) ISBN 9781849548656
  • Helen Suzman Bright Star In A Dark Chamber (London: Biteback Publishing, 2014) ISBN 9781849546676
  • A Journey with Margaret Thatcher (London: Biteback Publishing, 2013) ISBN 9781849545334

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Lord Renwick of Clifton, Thatcher-era ambassador whose deft diplomacy speeded apartheid's end". Telegraph Obituaries. The Telegraph. 5 November 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Lord Renwick of Clifton obituary: friend of Nelson Mandela". The Times. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  3. ^ Jenkins, Simon (5 March 2015). "The End of Apartheid by Robin Renwick review – why Thatcher got it right on South Africa". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  4. ^ Bracken, Ann (2021). How to Break Into the White House: An Irrepressible Small-town Girl's Up-close and Personal Tale of Presidents, Gangsters and Spies. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78590-673-2.
  5. ^ "No. 48041". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1979. p. 2.
  6. ^ "No. 51578". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1988. p. 3.
  7. ^ "No. 54907". The London Gazette. 1 October 1997. p. 11063.
  8. ^ "Parliamentary career for Lord Renwick of Clifton". MPs and Lords. UK Parliament. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by British Ambassador to South Africa
1987–1991 		Succeeded by
Preceded by British Ambassador to the United States
1991–1995 		Succeeded by
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