Alastair King-Smith
Biography
Alastair King-Smith was appointed British Ambassador to the Czech Republic in July 2026. He will take up his post in January 2027.
Alastair has been a diplomat since 1996. He was British Ambassador to Albania from 2021 to 2024. Alastair has had overseas postings in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. These included short tours as Deputy High Commissioner to Nairobi over the Kenyan elections in 2013 and as Deputy Ambassador to Tel Aviv in 2012 working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He has also had postings to Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Libya and Egypt, where he studied Arabic.
In the UK, Alastair has served in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in a number of roles, most recently as Deputy Director. He set up the Soft Power Council and Soft Power Hub (2024 to 2025). As Head of International Engagement for the UK’s cross-government Taskforce on Coronavirus (2020), he organised the first Global Vaccine Summit.
Alastair was Co-ordinator for the Global Campaign for Media Freedom and co-chair of the Media Freedom Coalition, which he initiated to champion media freedom globally, and led campaigns on UN elections and multilateral policy (2018 to 2020). He served as Head of International Counter Extremism and co-chair of the working group of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum on countering violent extremism (2015 to 2018).
As Head of Strategic Campaigns and Planning (2013 to 2015), Alastair oversaw the UK’s communication campaigns on foreign policy issues, including on Ukraine-Russia and the counter-Daesh Coalition’s strategic communications efforts. As Head of Near East Group (2011 to 2012), he was responsible for the UK’s policy towards the Middle East Peace Process and for relations with Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Palestine, later returning to the region to lead the UK’s crisis response to various conflicts. He helped establish the UK Government’s Stabilisation Unit to assist countries affected by conflict.
Alastair is a founding Trustee of the charity Kids for Kids, which has been helping children in rural areas of Darfur for over 25 years, and a Trustee of the Next Century Foundation, promoting dialogue for peace.
Alastair holds an MA Hons degree in Classics from Cambridge University, Trinity College. He speaks Czech, Albanian, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese and French.
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British Ambassador-designate to Czechia
The Ambassador-designate has been appointed as British Ambassador but not yet formally started in the role.
Previous roles in government
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British Ambassador to Albania