The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Berlin |
Contact
Address: Wilhelmstraße 70/71, Berlin, D- 10117
Tel.: +49 (0)30 204 570
Contact: https://www.contact.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk/posts/germany/british-embassy-berlin
The Ambassador
Amb. Jill Gallard
Jill Gallard CMG became Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany on 11 November 2020. Before joining the Embassy, she was the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Deputy Political Director (2018-2020) and Director of Human Resources (2014-2018). From 2011 to 2014 Jill served as British Ambassador to Portugal. Since joining the Diplomatic Service in 1991, her career in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office has focussed on Europe with postings in Prague, Madrid and at the European Commission in Brussels. She has also had a wide range of jobs in London, mainly working on the EU and wider Europe. Jill Gallard grew up in Northern Ireland and is married with two children. She studied French and Spanish at Edinburgh University. Jill speaks German, fluent French, Spanish and Portuguese, and some Czech.
History
Diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Germany were first established in 1797.
At the outbreak of the First World War diplomatic relations between the two states were broken off and the embassy building remained empty and relations between the two were interrupted again at the outbreak of World War II. The building was badly damaged by Allied bombing during the war and was demolished in 1950.
The British Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was based in Bonn, the capital city of that state and the British embassy to the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was situated near to the old embassy, at Unter den Linden 32-34.
Upon reunification in 1991, the German government returned the seat of government from Bonn to Berlin. A new embassy building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 18 July 2000.