17 Facts About Roderic Lyne

The son of a senior Royal Air Force officer who flew Spitfires in World War II, Lyne refused to go to Marlborough College because "there were no doors on the lavatories", so instead attended Eton College on a bursary.

Roderic Lyne went on to read history at Leeds University, which he says was the only university to offer him an interview, on account of his poor A-level grades.

Roderic Lyne received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2004.

Rod Roderic Lyne joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1970, and went to study at the Army School of Languages in 1971.

Roderic Lyne's first posting was as Third Secretary to Moscow in 1972.

Roderic Lyne was sent to Dakar in 1974 and returned to the FCO in 1976.

Roderic Lyne was appointed Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington in 1979.

Roderic Lyne was posted as first secretary to UKMIS New York City in 1982 where he served until 1986, when he was seconded to Chatham House in London.

Between 1990 and 1993, Roderic Lyne was head of the Soviet and then Eastern Department of the FCO.

For three years from 1993, Rod Roderic Lyne was seconded to 10 Downing Street as private secretary to Prime Minister John Major, advising on foreign affairs, defence and Northern Ireland.

From 1997 to 2000 Roderic Lyne served as permanent representative, UKMIS Geneva before finishing his diplomatic career as HM Ambassador to Russia.

Sir Roderic Lyne is vice-chairman at Chatham House where, from 1986 to 1987, he was a visiting research fellow.

Roderic Lyne is an advisor to JPMorgan Chase, who have been chosen to operate the Trade Bank of Iraq, which will give banks access to the financial system of Iraq Roderic Lyne was a special adviser to BP, which currently has major interests in Iraq.

Roderic Lyne is a non-executive director of Petropavlovsk plc.

Roderic Lyne is a member of the board of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce; the board of governors of Kingston University; and is a governor of the Ditchley Foundation.

Roderic Lyne was a member of the Chilcot inquiry into circumstances leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, having been appointed to the Privy Council in 2009.

Roderic Lyne currently sits on the advisory council of the Front Row Group of Companies Ltd.