Fleur Louise Thomas, the new British Ambassador to Luxembourg, sat next to the cushions she made herself to go with the "famous" green sofa; Credit: Jazmin Campbell / Chronicle.lu

One day after presenting her credentials to His Royal Highness the Grand Duke, Fleur Louise Thomas, the new British Ambassador to Luxembourg, spoke with Chronicle.lu about her new role, her former career(s) and her rescue cat, Millie.

Ambassador Fleur Louise Thomas arrived in Luxembourg last Thursday evening via the Eurotunnel in her plug-in hybrid electric car. The new British Ambassador emphasised that climate action was one of her main priorities, both in her role as a diplomat and on a personal level.

Climate Change, Discrimination & Human Rights

She recalled that the British government had recently announced its decision to strengthen its climate change commitments with the target of cutting carbon emissions by 78% by 2035 - fifteen years earlier than the current target. A significant event this year will be the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November.

Other priorities during her four-year term in Luxembourg include working towards ending discrimination, particularly that based on gender and race. She noted that both the United Kingdom (UK) and Luxembourg share these values, adding that the "very free society" that characterises the Grand Duchy had appealed to her when she considered applying for this post. Other reasons for applying included Luxembourg's location, its size and the fact that she already speaks some French.

The British Ambassador confirmed that the UK supports Luxembourg's bid to join the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council for the period 2022-24, noting that both countries strongly advocated the rule of law and childrens rights, among other issues.

Other values which unite Luxembourg and the UK, according to the British Ambassador, include a mutual interest in financial services. Whilst there is now a bit more competition between the two countries' financial centres post-Brexit, she noted that "competition can be healthy". Media freedom, freedom of religion, soft mobility, as well as green finance and innovation were also areas of shared interest. 

On the subject of Northern Ireland, which has made the news recently in light of post-Brexit unrest, Ambassador Fleur Louise Thomas noted that, in her experience, most people in Northern Ireland wanted peace. Indeed, she spent three days in Belfast as part of her training to become an ambassador. She emphasised that Northern Ireland "has a lot to contribute" to the Union (UK), and vice versa.

Post-Brexit Residency

The new Ambassador also took this opportunity to urge British nationals in Luxembourg to apply for their new residency permits before the deadline at the end of June; more than 1,000 Brits residing in the Grand Duchy have yet to do this.

Professional Background

Regarding her professional experience as a female, Ambassador Fleur Louise Thomas admitted that she had had to "work harder than men" and was "used to working in a man's world". In her previous job in defence, she managed a team of 27 men. However, she also worked on opportunities to empower women in the Middle East, for instance through a training programme in Saudi Arabia. Despite progress in this area in the UK and Luxembourg, she acknowledged that there is "still a way to go". Another issue close to her heart is social mobility.

Turning to her professional background, the British Ambassador spoke particularly fondly of her experience as cabin crew for British Airways (from 1995 to 2002). Whilst travelling the world, she had the opportunity to visit art galleries and attend the ballet in faraway places like Boston (USA), meet many different people and even study for her MBA via distance learning at the Open University. She described this experience as a "good grounding for diplomacy". She later pursued a career in the civil service, serving as Regional Director for Europe, Africa, Middle East, Central & South Asia and Head of Defence and Security Organisation at the Department for International Trade, as well as Head of Exports, Security, Policy and Operations at the UK's Ministry of Defence.

Last but not least, the British Ambassador shared stories about her rescue cat, Millie, who is still getting used to her new surroundings but is expected to make a public appearance (and show off her high five skills) at future meetings.