| British Embassy, Washington D.C. | |
|---|---|
 The "new" chancery, finished 1961 | |
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| Location |  Washington, D.C. |
| Address | 3100Massachusetts Avenue,NW |
| Coordinates | 38°55′11″N77°03′40″W / 38.91972°N 77.06111°W /38.91972; -77.06111 |
| Ambassador | James Roscoe(Interim – Chargé d’Affaires)since 11 September 2025 |
| Website | www |
TheBritish Embassy, Washington D.C. (alternatively in the US,Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C.) is theBritish sovereign'sdiplomatic mission to theUnited States of America, representing the interests of theUnited Kingdom and British Government. It is located at 3100Massachusetts AvenueNW inWashington, D.C. The embassy compound includes thechancery offices, as well as theBritish Ambassador's residence.
Outside Washington, the BritishForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO; often commonly known simply as the Foreign Office) also maintains consulates-general inAtlanta,Boston,Chicago,Houston,Los Angeles,Miami,New York City, andSan Francisco, headed by consuls-general. There are also British Consulates called (instead) theUK Government Offices inDenver, and inSeattle, headed by consuls.
The embassy is situated in a compound that includes theambassador's residence, as well as the old and newchanceries. The residence was designed by SirEdwin Lutyens to resemble anEnglish country manor, with the old chancery facing the street. By the 1950s, the old chancery was deemed too cramped, and the new chancery, designed by chief architectEric Bedford was constructed from 1955 to 1961, with Queen Elizabeth II laying the foundation stone on 19 October 1957.[1] Part of the old chancery was converted into staff quarters, and the rest is currently occupied by the offices of theBritish Council. TheBritish government was the first nation to build an embassy in the area that would later become known asEmbassy Row.
Outside the British ambassador's residence standsa statue of SirWinston Churchill. One of the statue's feet is inside the marked embassy grounds; the other is within theDistrict of Columbia. The embassy's website states that this symbolizes Churchill's Anglo-American parentage (his father was British, his mother American) and his status as anhonorary citizen of the United States.[2]
The gardens of the ambassador's residence were planted byElizabeth Sherman Lindsay. Lady Lindsay was a landscape gardener and wife of SirRonald Lindsay, the British ambassador to Washington from 1930 to 1939.[3]
The embassy is one of the largest in Washington, employing 210 diplomats and about 250 staff. On 11 September 2025,James Roscoe who serves as Chargé d’Affaires, was appointed interim ambassador to the USA for the second time.[4] His appointment came afterBritish Prime MinisterKeir Starmer dismissedPeter Mandelson as ambassador over new revelations regarding his past association with convinced paedophileJeffrey Epstein.[5][6][7]
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On 8 June 1939, the embassy, hosted by Ambassador Sir Ronald Lindsay, held a garden party forKing George VI andQueen Elizabeth, the first time that reigning British monarchs had visited the United States.[8]
On 11 February 1964, a reception was held there forThe Beatles, who had played their first concert in America earlier that day at the Washington Coliseum.[9]
On 7 July 2005, theUnited States Army Band played "God Save the Queen" outside the embassy in remembrance of the victims of the7 July 2005 London bombings.[10] This mirrored theBand of the Coldstream Guards' unprecedented performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the Changing of theQueen's Guard atBuckingham Palace on 13 September 2001 in remembrance of the victims of the11 September attacks in the United States.[11][12]
On 9 September 2022, whenQueen Elizabeth IIdied at the age of 96 atBalmoral Castle, the embassy opened a condolence book. PresidentJoe Biden and First LadyJill Biden visited the embassy and its staff, including Dame Karen, delivered flowers and were the first to sign the condolence book.[13][14]Secretary of StateAntony Blinken was among those who also signed.
In July 2023, the British Embassy held a reception for theBarbie film, which was filmed primarily in the UK, with directorGreta Gerwig.[15][16]
The embassy was depicted in fiction in the 2006BBC TelevisionminiseriesThe State Within.
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1 Diplomatic posts only with no consular facilities. 2 Consular posts only with no diplomatic functions. 3 The United Kingdom and His Majesty's Government do not recognise or have formal bilateral intergovernmental, diplomatic or consular relations with the (generally unrecognised)Government of the Republic of China in Taipei. Functions in Taiwan as an accredited informal and unofficial representative post and a semi-official informal consular post. | |
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