Sir Antony Acland

Antony Acland was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics. He entered the Foreign Office in 1953 and learned Arabic before serving in Dubai and Kuwait. Later assignments took him to the United Nations in New York and Geneva. As head of the Arabian Department, he helped prepare the end of Britain’s treaty arrangements in the Gulf by the end of 1971. ^{1, 2}

Acland recalled coordinating the legal and administrative work of withdrawal and recommending William Luce as a special negotiator. The settlement involved Bahrain’s future, the formation of the United Arab Emirates, and unresolved island disputes with Iran. He subsequently served as principal private secretary to foreign secretaries Alec Douglas-Home and James Callaghan and as ambassador in Luxembourg and Spain. ¹

As permanent under-secretary from 1982 to 1986, Acland led the Diplomatic Service during the Falklands War and its aftermath. He defended Foreign Office staff against sweeping political criticism. He then became ambassador in Washington, serving through the final Reagan years and the presidency of George H. W. Bush until 1991. ^{1, 2}

The Gulf War brought Acland into close contact with Bush’s administration. He recalled accompanying Douglas Hurd to the White House in February 1991 and being included in a discussion with senior American officials about ending hostilities. His account links the decision to the coalition’s mandate to liberate Kuwait and the consequences of advancing further into Iraq. ¹

After Washington, Acland was provost of Eton from 1991 to 2000. His tenure supported improvements to school buildings, computing, and sporting facilities, including the rowing lake. He also promoted the school’s collections and its acquisition of Casa Guidi in Florence, the former home of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He died in 2021. ²