In difficult postings where security dangers are omnipresent and daily life appears to be under siege, British diplomats and journalists rub along just fine, forging lasting friendships. But back in London, apart from a small coterie of diplomatic correspondents, few hacks regularly make their way through the ornate iron gates and electronic security barriers on King Charles Street that shield the mandarins of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from the outside world.
Opting for frankness
So the encounter in April at the recently established Frontline Club in Paddington between a rumpled, curious crowd of correspondents and photographers and their guests for the evening – three retired British ambassadors – was a lively occasion.
