Lord Carrington, 6th Baron Carrington, dies aged 99

Lord Carrington, a resident of Bledlow Manor in Buckinghamshire and a former Foreign Secretary has died aged 99 on Monday 9th July 2018.

Born in Chelsea on Friday 6th June 1919 Peter Alexander Rupert Carrington, 6th Baron Carrington, served as the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from Friday 4th May 1979 to Monday 5 April 1982 when he resigned following the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentinian forces. Although not immediately responsible for the invasion he took full responsibility for the failure to foresee the invasion by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and resigned.

Every year Lord Carrington would open the gardens of his home for charity raising thousands of pounds for good causes. Recently almost £1,200 was raised for charity during a special event held at Bledlow Manor.

He was the last surviving member of the 1951/55 government of Winston Churchill, the Eden government and the Macmillan government, as well as of the cabinets of Alec Douglas-Home and Edward Heath. Following the House of Lords Act 1999, which removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, Carrington was created a life peer as Baron Carrington of Upton.

The Prime Minister Theresa May said: ‘The death of Peter Carrington at the age of 99 marks the end of an era and the loss of a statesman who was respected globally for his remarkable lifetime of public service.

There can be few people who have served our country for as long and with such dedication, as Lord Carrington did – from his gallantry as a tank commander in the Second World War, for which he was awarded the Military Cross, to his service in Government under two Monarchs and six Prime Ministers, dating back to Winston Churchill.

He was a much loved and widely respected member of the House of Lords for nearly eight decades, and served with great honour and integrity in Government as Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary, Leader of the House of Lords, Chairman of the Conservative Party and much more besides.

These were qualities that he also brought to bear as a highly esteemed Secretary General of NATO – and, in the week of the NATO Summit, I know that my fellow leaders will join me in offering our gratitude for his lifetime of service and our deepest condolences to his family.‘