Colourful ex-diplomat Meyer dies in Alps at 78
Sir Christopher Meyer, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, died suddenly yesterday aged 78.
The colourful career diplomat had a massive stroke while relaxing with his wife, Catherine, at their second home in Megeve, in the French Alps.
The couple had been watching films together when Baroness Meyer heard her husband drop his iPad and realised he had fallen ill.
Paramedics battled for around 50 minutes to save Sir Christopher’s life, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A family friend said today the death was a ‘huge shock’.
Just hours before he passed away, Sir Christopher was sharing his views on the Tory leadership race as he tweeted under the moniker ‘Sirfor Socks’. He had 32,600 followers and remained engaged in current affairs. He was married to Baroness Meyer, a former businesswoman and charity boss, for more than two decades. Sir Christopher had two sons from his first marriage and was also close to his wife’s two children from her previous marriage.
The couple met during her attempts to track down her sons, who had been abducted as children by their German father after their divorce.
Baroness Meyer is being supported by her family in France today. Sir Christopher’s funeral will be in France, where he will be buried.
A long career as a diplomat culminated when he was made ambassador to the US in 1997, a post he held six years. Previously he had been ambassador to Germany and had postings to the former Soviet Union, Spain and the European Union.
He was also press secretary to prime minister John Major between 1993 and 1996, press secretary to foreign secretary Lord Howe, and speech writer to three foreign secretaries – James Callaghan, Anthony Crosland and David Owen.
Sir Christopher led the Press Complaints Commission from 2003 to 2009.
He had a fondness for red socks and was once described by Labour ex-deputy PM John Prescott as a ‘red-socked fop’ over his memoir DC Confidential, which included insights into the run-up to the iraq War.
in a 2019 interview with the Daily Mail, Sir Christopher said he had been ‘determined to lead a monastic life, devoted to work’ – until he met Baroness Meyer.
in 2018, he was beaten up at Victoria tube station in London. He later said he was glad his teenage attacker was spared jail.
‘A fondness for red socks’