British ambassador extols the excellent relationship between the UK and Spain, both inside and outside the EU: We must “create our future together”
- This is the British Ambassador’s last celebration of The Queen’s Birthday in Madrid, as his six years in Spain come to an end in August.
On Thursday 20 June, more than 700 people celebrated the strong links that unite the UK and Spain at The Queen’s Birthday Party, a party to celebrate the 93rd birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, who in 2019 also celebrates 67 years as sovereign.
The party took place in the British Ambassador’s official residence in Madrid under the banner of “Creating our future” and brought together personalities from the worlds of politics, business and society, such as the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Pedro Duque; the Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Maria Oliver; the Congressional spokesperson for Ciudadanos, Inés Arrimadas; and the Vice-President of Banco Santander, Matías Rodríguez-Inciarte.
In his welcome address, HMA Simon Manley underlined the excellent ties between both countries and called for the continuation of this special relationship in the future.
“We have shared challenges such as climate change, the ageing population, Islamist terrorism and the digital revolution. Inside or outside the European Union we have to tackle them together,” emphasised the Ambassador.
Spain and the UK have trade flows of more than 62,000 million euros per year. More than 300,000 UK nationals live in Spain and nearly 200,000 Spaniards live, study and work in the UK. Academic ties and the collaboration between security forces in the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism are also very strong.
This was the last Queen’s Birthday Party in Madrid for Simon Manley who, in August, will hand over to the new Ambassador Hugh Elliott, who has been Director of Communication in the Government’s Department for Exiting the EU, and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
“I am grateful to the Spanish people for their collaboration and help, and I confess that this has been the best job of my life”, adds Manley.
The video summary of the party is available on
Using the hashtag #QBPMadrid2019 on Twitter and Instagram you can see everything related to the party. The Embassy has just launched its official Instagram channel @ukinspain.
