Robin Renwick, Baron Renwick of Clifton

Robin Renwick, Baron Renwick of Clifton
Born	Robin William Renwick (1937-12-13) 13 December 1937 Clifton, York, England
Died	4 November 2024(2024-11-04) (aged 86)
Occupation(s)	Diplomat, writer, life peer
Years active	1962–1995 (diplomatic service)
Known for	British Ambassador to South Africa (1987–1991) and United States (1991–1995); member of the House of Lords

Robin William Renwick, Baron Renwick of Clifton, (13 December 1937 – 4 November 2024) was a distinguished British diplomat, writer, and member of the House of Lords. His ambassadorial appointments included representing the United Kingdom in South Africa from 1987 to 1991 and in the United States between 1991 and 1995.

Early life and education

Born in Clifton, York to pharmacist Richard Renwick and Clarice Henderson, he secured a scholarship to attend St Paul's School, London. Following his national service as a despatch rider stationed in Malta and Libya, he pursued higher education at Jesus College, Cambridge, which honored him with a fellowship in 1992, and also studied at the Sorbonne.

Career

Renwick entered the Foreign Office in 1962, undertaking postings in Dakar, New Delhi, and Paris. Between 1970 and 1972, he served as private secretary to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Godber. In 1978, he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's department responsible for Rhodesia, playing a significant role in coordinating the conferences that culminated in the Lancaster House Agreement. By 1980, he was political adviser to Christopher Soames, who was the final colonial Governor of Southern Rhodesia.

Following a period of study at Harvard University, Renwick was assigned to the British embassy in Washington. He returned to London in 1984 to assume the role of assistant under-secretary for Europe during Margaret Thatcher's negotiations concerning the British rebate within the European Economic Community budget. Subsequently, he held ambassadorial positions in South Africa (1987–1991), where he was involved in pivotal discussions leading to the dismantling of apartheid, and later in the United States (1991–1995).

After retiring from diplomatic service, Renwick provided foreign policy advice to Tony Blair and served on the boards of several corporations such as Robert Fleming & Co., Richemont, and J.P. Morgan & Co..

Personal life and death

Renwick was married twice: first to Anne-Collette Guidicelli in 1965, with whom he had two children; subsequently to Ann Bracken, with whom he fathered another son.

He passed away on 4 November 2024 at age 86 due to complications related to lung disease.

Honours

In recognition of his services, Renwick was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1980 and elevated to Knight Commander (KCMG) status in 1989.

He received a life peerage as Baron Renwick of Clifton of Chelsea on 26 September 1997. Originally aligned with Labour peers, he became a crossbencher in 2007 before retiring from the House of Lords in 2018.

Bibliography

Renwick authored numerous works concentrating on international affairs and political history, including:

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

External links

• Interview with Robin William, Lord Renwick and transcript, British Diplomatic Oral History Programme, Churchill College, Cambridge, 1998