Christopher Soames

Arthur Christopher John Soames, Baron Soames, was born on 12 October 1920 in Penn, Buckinghamshire, England. He was the son of Captain Arthur Granville Soames and Hope Mary Woodbine Parish. His father was a member of a brewing family and had familial ties to Olave Baden-Powell, the World Chief Guide. His parents divorced during his childhood, and his mother subsequently married Charles Rhys, later the 8th Baron Dynevor. Through this marriage, Soames acquired half-siblings, including Richard Rhys, the 9th Baron Dynevor.

He received his education at West Downs School, Eton College, and the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. Prior to World War II, he obtained a commission as an officer in the Coldstream Guards. During the war, he served in France, Italy, and North Africa. He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for actions at the Second Battle of El Alamein in 1942.

Following his military service, Soames served as Assistant Military Attaché in Paris. He entered politics as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Bedford, holding the seat from 1950 to 1966. During this period, he held several government positions: Under-Secretary of State for Air (1955–1957) under Anthony Eden; Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty (1957–1958) under Harold Macmillan; Secretary of State for War (1958–1960), and Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1960–1964). In 1955, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), and in 1958, he was sworn of the Privy Council.

He served as Shadow Foreign Secretary from 1965 to 1966. His parliamentary career ended when he lost his seat in the 1966 general election. In 1968, Harold Wilson appointed him Ambassador to France, a post he held until 1972. During his ambassadorship, he was involved in the "Soames affair" of February 1969, which centered on a private meeting with French President Charles de Gaulle and discussions regarding potential European union negotiations. The British government ultimately declined the offer, affecting Franco-British relations temporarily.

From 1973 to 1976, Soames was a Vice-President of the European Commission. He was considered as a possible challenger to Edward Heath in the 1975 Conservative Party leadership election; Margaret Thatcher ultimately won the leadership race. On 19 April 1978, he was granted a life peerage as Baron Soames of Fletching, East Sussex.

He served as the interim governor of Southern Rhodesia from 1979 to 1980, overseeing the transition to independence as Zimbabwe, in accordance with the Lancaster House Agreement. Concurrently, he held positions in Margaret Thatcher's government: Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Lords (1979–1981).

In addition to his political career, Soames was president of the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 1973, a non-executive director of N.M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd (1977–1979), and a director of the National Westminster Bank (1978–1979).

He married Mary Churchill, daughter of Winston Churchill and Clementine Churchill, on 11 February 1947. They had five children. Lord Soames died from cancer at his residence in Odiham on 16 September 1987. His ashes were interred in the Churchill family plot at St Martin's Church, Bladon, near Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

His honours include the Croix de Guerre (France), Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG), Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO), Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France), the Robert Schuman Prize, and Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH).