British Ambassador John Marshall;
Credit: Chronicle.lu
The British Embassy in Luxembourg has confirmed that HRH the Grand Duke received Ambassador Johan Marshall for his farewell audience yesterday morning, 29 March 2021.
In advance of the audience, the Ambassador said:
“Today I bid farewell to HRH The Grand Duke. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to represent the United Kingdom in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for the last five years. It has been an eventful time, dominated by the consequences of the British public’s decision to leave the EU on 23 June 2016 and more recently by the Covid 19 pandemic.
For the British community in Luxembourg the period immediately after the referendum was an unsettling time, but the chapter on Citizens Rights that forms part of the Withdrawal Agreement and which came into force on 1 February 2020 guarantees the rights of UK Nationals legally resident in Luxembourg at the end of 2020 to continue to live, work and study here. I urge all UK Nationals who need to apply for a new residence card to do so as soon as possible and well before the deadline of 30 June 2021.
I leave optimistic for the future of the UK/EU relationship, even if the start of 2021 - in part for Covid reasons – has been rather rockier than we had hoped. As we set out in our Integrated Review published earlier this month our European neighbours and allies remain vital partners, and our commitment to European security is unequivocal. A secure, prosperous and successful EU is in the UK’s own national interests and together, and with other allies, we can promote the values that we share.
My work here has been made easier by the kindness, openness and pragmatism of so many people in Luxembourg, whether in business, public institutions or wider society and I would like to thank everyone with whom I and the Embassy have engaged for their assistance, their engagement and their support.
As I leave Luxembourg with the Covid-19 virus ever-present I wish everyone good health, every happiness and the patience and strength to get through this pandemic.
With my very best wishes,
John Marshall”
