Richard Wilkinson, CVO

Dick Wilkinson graduated from Cambridge, and after postgraduate study and research at universities in Paris, London and Soviet Armenia he joined the British Diplomatic Service. He served successively in Spain, Turkey, Mexico and France, and then as Ambassador to Venezuela and Chile. He was also for three years Director for the Americas at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office responsible for Britain’s relations with the countries of the Western Hemisphere and our diplomatic missions there.

After retiring he was appointed Head of Spanish at Winchester College and chaired the Board of Governors of the University of Winchester. With his specialist knowledge of Latin America he arranged school and academic exchanges with institutions in Colombia and Chile. He has been Chairman of the Anglo-Chilean Society, a trustee of the Hispanic and Latin American centre Canning House, and cruise lecturer in various countries of Central and South America.