Introducing Joanne Olivier, Luxembourg's New British Ambassador

New British Ambassador to Luxembourg, Joanne Olivier, presented her credentials to Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume at the Grand Ducal Palace on Wednesday 23 April 2025, marking the official start to her position as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Chronicle.lu recently had the opportunity to speak to the ambassador at her residence in Luxembourg City about her move to the Grand Duchy, her experience in meeting the Hereditary Grand Duke and how her dog, Pirate, is adjusting to his new surroundings.

When asked about her duties as the new British Ambassador to Luxembourg, Ambassador Olivier stated that her priorities are also those of the UK’s Foreign Secretary and many of them are “absolutely key” in Luxembourg. She emphasised the importance of Europe and the renewal of the UK’s relationship with the European Union (EU), that Luxembourg is a “very long-standing friend”, as well as being “a strong strategic partnership with lots of common interests”. She commented on the importance of security and defence in a changing and evolving world and the significance of Luxembourg’s membership of NATO and how the country is home to several of its institutions. Another key priority for the UK government is economic growth and continuing to develop the relationship between the UK's financial centre, the City of London and Luxembourg’s financial centre - “not just for the benefit of both countries but for Europe as a whole”. On a more personal level, Ambassador Olivier noted the values and work of her predecessor, Fleur Thomas, stressing that she is keen to maintain the positive work performed by the embassy. She touched upon the importance to her of key subjects such as diversity, inclusion, the promotion of women in leadership roles and gender equality.

On the subject of presenting her credentials to Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, she remarked at how unique and extraordinary an experience it had been and how impressed she was by the treatment provided by the Grand Ducal Palace. She described the enjoyment of her journey to the palace, accompanied by an aide-de-camp in one of the palace’s chauffeur-driven cars, the beauty of the palace and the warm welcome she received from the Hereditary Grand Duke and the palace staff. When asked if she had taken the opportunity to try out her Luxembourgish language skills, which she had demonstrated only days before in a video released by the British Embassy, she took the opportunity to remark on how she has found Luxembourg to be such an inclusive and generous country, where you can start a conversation in almost any language and people will happily adapt to maintain a conversation. She emphasised that she finds it respectful to know at least a bit of someone else’s language and hopes to learn more Luxembourgish during her time here.

When asked about the upcoming EU-UK summit, which takes place in the UK on Monday 19 May 2025, the ambassador noted that there is “a lot of work going on between the UK and the EU” and that the new UK government has “really taken a different approach to making its relationships with the EU much, much stronger.” She noted: “I think there are high hopes for some really useful discussions, where we look for where we can deepen our agreements and in areas of mutual benefit. That is what we are working towards”.

Concerning the significance of 2025 for Luxembourg, which will see the end of Grand Duke Henri’s reign and the symbolic handover of power to Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Ambassador Olivier said that: “It will be a momentous day and a very important moment for the country”. She noted that the Luxembourg authorities have already made provision for the diplomatic corps to attend the ceremony and further details will be provided nearer the time.

When asked of her past experience of the Grand Duchy, the ambassador talked of her visit to the country in August 2024 and how she felt the energy of the country as she toured the city and visited Vianden Castle with her daughters. Now, as a permanent resident, she remarked at the strong sense of community and support she has observed at numerous events and how she has enjoyed both the historic and more modern traditions that Luxembourg city has recently celebrated, such as Emaischen and the Duck Race. When asked if she was aware of the upcoming Echternach Hopping Procession (“Sprangprozessioun”) on Tuesday 10 June 2025, she mentioned that she was aware of the history of the event, its historical links to the UK and how previous British Ambassador Fleur Thomas had participated yet was not sure if she herself would be able to participate on this occasion.

Ambassador Olivier arrived in Luxembourg along with her dog, Pirate, who, she said, has “adapted very well”to his new surroundings at the residence. She mentioned that she is already looking forward to taking him out into the Luxembourg countryside to enjoy the various hiking routes, forests and greenery of the country. When asked if she had brought anything specific with her from the UK to Luxembourg, she somewhat apologetically revealed that “I am going to sound really British when I say this but there is only one thing I brought with me: Tetley tea”.

On the subject of her job as ambassador and what she hopes to achieve during her time in Luxembourg, she was keen to stress her desire to progress development between Luxembourg and the UK in the areas of technology innovation, space and artificial intelligence (AI), particularly with regards to financial services, which is “an obvious area to start looking for the future” due to the “very strong links we already have”. In closing, she stated: “I think there is so much more we can do.”