List of ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Spain


The ambassador of the United Kingdom to Spain is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in the Kingdom of Spain, and in charge of the UK's diplomatic mission in Spain. The official title is His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain.
The British ambassador to Spain is also non-resident ambassador to the Principality of Andorra.
In 1822, the foreign secretary at that time, George Canning, downgraded the embassy to a mission, and the head of mission from an ambassador to an envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, to reflect Spain's decreased importance on the world stage. The mission in Madrid was upgraded to a full embassy once more on 9 December 1887.

List of heads of mission

The following is a partial list of British ambassadors to Spain.
Titles of the heads of mission:
Appointed/accreditationIncumbentMonarchEnvoy toLeft office
1505John StileHenry VIII of EnglandFerdinand II of Aragon16 June 1518
3 June 1512William KnightHenry VIII of EnglandFerdinand II of Aragon1 September 1513
15 July 1517Sir Thomas SpinellyHenry VIII of EnglandCharles I of Spain1522
28 February 1518John Kite
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners		Henry VIII of EnglandCharles I of Spain1 March 1519
1533Richard PateHenry VIII of EnglandCharles I of Spain1537
1537Sir Thomas WyattHenry VIII of EnglandCharles I of Spain1539
12 March 1554John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford
Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex		Mary I of EnglandPhilip II of Spain20 July 1554
12 January 1560Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount MontaguElizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of Spain24 June 1560
24 June 1560Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu
Sir Thomas Chamberlain		Elizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of Spain24 June 1562
30 September 1561Thomas ChalonerElizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of Spain15 May 1565
5 March 1565William PhayreElizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of Spain4 April 1566
12 January 1566John ManElizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of Spain5 October 1568
18 November 1576Sir John SmithElizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of Spain28 July 1577
December 1577Thomas WilkesElizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of SpainFebruary 1578
May 1579Edward Wotton, 1st Baron WottonElizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of Spain
January 1583William WadeElizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of SpainAugust 1584
1584Thomas WilsonElizabeth I of EnglandPhilip II of Spain
2 March 1605Charles Howard, 1st Earl of NottinghamJames VI and IPhilip III of Spain4 July 1577
1605Francis Cottington, 1st Baron CottingtonJames VI and IPhilip III of Spain
1605Charles CornwallisJames VI and IPhilip III of Spain1609
1608John Digby, 1st Earl of BristolJames VI and IPhilip III of Spain
1609Francis Cottington, 1st Baron CottingtonJames VI and IPhilip III of Spain1611
1609Peter WycheJames VI and IPhilip IV of Spain1611
1616William Cecil, 17th Baron de RosJames VI and IPhilip III of Spain
1617John Digby, 1st Earl of BristolJames VI and IPhilip IV of Spain1618
1617John Digby, 1st Earl of BristolJames VI and IPhilip III of Spain
1618Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of ForfarJames VI and IPhilip III of Spain
1622Mr. HoleJames VI and IPhilip IV of Spain
1622Simon Digby (fl. 1620–1640s)James VI and IPhilip IV of Spain1640
1622John Digby, 1st Earl of BristolJames VI and IPhilip IV of Spain
1623Endymion PorterJames VI and IPhilip IV of Spain
1624Stephen GardinerJames VI and IPhilip IV of Spain
1 March 1625Peter WycheCharles I of EnglandPhilip IV of Spain30 April 1626
11 August 1628Endymion PorterCharles I of EnglandPhilip IV of Spain5 January 1629
1 July 1629Francis Cottington, 1st Baron CottingtonCharles I of EnglandPhilip IV of Spain20 April 1631
18 December 1630Arthur HoptonCharles I of EnglandPhilip IV of Spain23 April 1636
13 July 1634John TaylorCharles I of EnglandPhilip IV of Spain24 May 1635
26 December 1634Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of ForfarCharles I of EnglandPhilip IV of Spain31 July 1638
April 1638Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st BaronetCharles I of EnglandPhilip IV of Spain10 June 1638
21 March 1638Arthur HoptonCharles I of EnglandPhilip IV of SpainDecember 1645
25 January 1650Anthony AschamEnglish Council of StatePhilip IV of Spain27 May 1650
27 May 1650George FisherEnglish Council of StatePhilip IV of Spain26 September 1651
1654Anglo-Spanish War (1654-1660)English Council of StatePhilip IV of Spain1660
20 February 1666Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of SandwichCharles II of EnglandCharles II of Spain11 October 1668
26 February 1666Robert SouthwellCharles II of EnglandCharles II of Spain22 June 1666
10 July 1668Sir John Werden, 1st BaronetCharles II of EnglandCharles II of Spain10 June 1668
10 July 1668William GodolphinCharles II of EnglandCharles II of Spain10 June 1668
21 November 1671Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of SunderlandCharles II of EnglandCharles II of Spain20 May 1672
29 June 1677Ignatius WhiteCharles II of EnglandCharles II of SpainOctober 1677
12 June 1679Sir Henry Goodricke, 2nd BaronetCharles II of EnglandCharles II of Spain27 March 1683
10 December 1682Peter LefettCharles II of EnglandCharles II of Spain16 November 1685
13 May 1685Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of BathCharles II of EnglandCharles II of SpainDecember 1688
13 May 1685John StaffordJames II of EnglandCharles II of SpainDecember 1688
May 1689Viscount DursleyMary II of EnglandCharles II of SpainAugust 1689
1689Alexander StanhopeMary II of EnglandCharles II of Spain1699
1699Francis SchonenbergWilliam III of EnglandCharles II of Spain1702
1702War of the Spanish SuccessionWilliam III of EnglandPhilip V of Spain1702
1705Mitford CroweAnne, Queen of Great BritainPhilip V of Spain1706
1705Paul MethuenAnne, Queen of Great BritainPhilip V of Spain1706
1706Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough,
James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope 		Anne, Queen of Great BritainCharles III of Hungary