Richard Morris (diplomat)

Richard Charles Morris FRSA (born 1 November 1967) is a British diplomat who was the British Ambassador to Nepal from 2015 to 2019. He was reported missing from his home in Hampshire in 2020.

Richard Charles Morris FRSA
British Ambassador to Nepal
In office 2015–2019
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	David Cameron Theresa May
Preceded by	John Rankin
Succeeded by	Nicola Pollitt
Personal details
Born	(1967-11-01) 1 November 1967 Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, England
Nationality	British
Education	Droitwich Spa High School
Alma mater	Aberystwyth University (BA (Hons)) Aston University (MBA)

Early and personal life

Morris was born on 1 November 1967 in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, to a teaching family. He has a younger sister. He attended Droitwich Spa High School.

Morris was born with a port-wine stain birthmark on the left hand side of his face. He underwent laser surgery in an attempt to remove his birthmark as a young teenager, but the procedure was eventually halted. He became an ambassador for the charity Changing Faces, which helps people who live with visible facial differences.[1]

Morris studied at Aberystwyth University, which included partaking in a one-year scholarship at the University of Illinois in the United States. He received a BA (Hons) degree in English literature. After this, he studied at Aston University where he earned an MBA and underwent contract work for the Touche Ross management consultancy.

Morris married his wife Alison in 1992 and together they have three children, one daughter and two sons. His hobbies include long-distance running,[2] having completed a marathon on Mount Everest in 2019.[3]

Career

Morris entered the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) through an open competition in 1990.

Morris was consul-general in Sydney, and had roles in New York, Mexico City, Bridgetown and Ottawa. He was head of the Pacific department at the FCO from 2013 to 2015.

In October 2015 he was announced as the next British Ambassador to Nepal, to succeed John Rankin in November. He served in this role until 2019, during which time he hosted Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex in the country for his 2016 tour.[4] He is due to become the next British High Commissioner to Fiji in July 2020.

Disappearance

Morris was reported missing on 6 May 2020 after going for a run in Bentley, Hampshire, and not returning home.[5] That day, an appeal for information was issued by Hampshire Police.[6] He was last seen running along Isington Road in Alton at 10:50 in the morning of 6 May.[7]

Initially, police dogs and drones were used to search Alice Holt Forest where Morris was known to enjoy running. As well as this, CCTV footage was examined and door-to-door inquiries were carried out. The search was scaled back on 3 June after more than nine square kilometres of land had been searched. Detective Inspector Alex Reading said he wanted to "reassure the community that there is no evidence of foul play".[8]

References

1. Shute, Joe (11 December 2018). "Our man in Nepal on being the face of Britain with a visible difference". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
2. "Richard Morris". GOV.UK. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
3. Johnson, Jamie (11 May 2020). "British diplomat missing after going for a run and not returning home, as police launch search". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
4. "Police search for British diplomat missing after going for run". The Guardian. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
5. "Richard Morris: Search for missing British diplomat". BBC News. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
6. Haynes, Deborah (11 May 2020). "Richard Morris: Top British diplomat missing after going for a run as Foreign Office 'extremely worried'". Sky News. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
7. "Police appeal for dash cam footage of missing diplomat Richard Morris". The Farnham Herald. 18 May 2020.
8. "Richard Morris: Missing diplomat search in Hampshire scaled back". BBC News. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by John Rankin	British Ambassador to Nepal 2015–2019	Succeeded by Nicola Pollitt