# List of ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Spain

The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Spain is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in the Kingdom of Spain, and in charge of the UK's diplomatic mission in Spain. The official title is His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain.
The British ambassador to Spain is also non-resident ambassador to the Principality of Andorra.
In 1822, the Foreign Secretary at that time, George Canning, downgraded the Embassy to a Mission, and the Head of Mission from an Ambassador to an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, to reflect Spain's decreased importance on the world stage. The Mission in Madrid was upgraded to a full Embassy once more on 9 December 1887.

## List of heads of mission

The following is a partial list of British ambassadors to Spain.
Titles of the heads of mission:
* From 1509 to 1683: Ambassador
* From 1683 to 1710: Envoy Extraordinary
* From 1711 to 1821: Ambassador
* From 1822 to 1887: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
* Since 1887: Ambassador
| Appointed/accreditation | Incumbent | Monarch | Envoy to | Left office |
| 1505 | John Stile | Henry VIII of England | Ferdinand II of Aragon | 16 June 1518 |
| 3 June 1512 | William Knight | Henry VIII of England | Ferdinand II of Aragon | 1 September 1513 |
| 15 July 1517 | Sir Thomas Spinelly | Henry VIII of England | Charles I of Spain | 1522 |
| 28 February 1518 | John Kite John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners | Henry VIII of England | Charles I of Spain | 1 March 1519 |
| 1533 | Richard Pate | Henry VIII of England | Charles I of Spain | 1537 |
| 1537 | Sir Thomas Wyatt | Henry VIII of England | Charles I of Spain | 1539 |
| 12 March 1554 | John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex | Mary I of England | Philip II of Spain | 20 July 1554 |
| 12 January 1560 | Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | 24 June 1560 |
| 24 June 1560 | Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu Sir Thomas Chamberlain | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | 24 June 1562 |
| 30 September 1561 | Thomas Chaloner | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | 15 May 1565 |
| 5 March 1565 | William Phayre | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | 4 April 1566 |
| 12 January 1566 | John Man | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | 5 October 1568 |
| 18 November 1576 | Sir John Smith | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | 28 July 1577 |
| December 1577 | Thomas Wilkes | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | February 1578 |
| May 1579 | Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | |
| January 1583 | William Wade | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | August 1584 |
| 1584 | Thomas Wilson | Elizabeth I of England | Philip II of Spain | |
| 2 March 1605 | Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham | James VI and I | Philip III of Spain | 4 July 1577 |
| 1605 | Francis Cottington, 1st Baron Cottington | James VI and I | Philip III of Spain | |
| 1605 | Charles Cornwallis | James VI and I | Philip III of Spain | 1609 |
| 1608 | John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol | James VI and I | Philip III of Spain | |
| 1609 | Francis Cottington, 1st Baron Cottington | James VI and I | Philip III of Spain | 1611 |
| 1609 | Peter Wyche | James VI and I | Philip IV of Spain | 1611 |
| 1616 | William Cecil, 17th Baron de Ros | James VI and I | Philip III of Spain | |
| 1617 | John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol | James VI and I | Philip IV of Spain | 1618 |
| 1617 | John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol | James VI and I | Philip III of Spain | |
| 1618 | Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of Forfar | James VI and I | Philip III of Spain | |
| 1622 | Mr. Hole | James VI and I | Philip IV of Spain | |
| 1622 | Simon Digby (fl. 1620–1640s) | James VI and I | Philip IV of Spain | 1640 |
| 1622 | John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol | James VI and I | Philip IV of Spain | |
| 1623 | Endymion Porter | James VI and I | Philip IV of Spain | |
| 1624 | Stephen Gardiner | James VI and I | Philip IV of Spain | |
| 1 March 1625 | Peter Wyche | Charles I of England | Philip IV of Spain | 30 April 1626 |
| 11 August 1628 | Endymion Porter | Charles I of England | Philip IV of Spain | 5 January 1629 |
| 1 July 1629 | Francis Cottington, 1st Baron Cottington | Charles I of England | Philip IV of Spain | 20 April 1631 |
| 18 December 1630 | Arthur Hopton | Charles I of England | Philip IV of Spain | 23 April 1636 |
| 13 July 1634 | John Taylor | Charles I of England | Philip IV of Spain | 24 May 1635 |
| 26 December 1634 | Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of Forfar | Charles I of England | Philip IV of Spain | 31 July 1638 |
| April 1638 | Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st Baronet | Charles I of England | Philip IV of Spain | 10 June 1638 |
| 21 March 1638 | Arthur Hopton | Charles I of England | Philip IV of Spain | December 1645 |
| 25 January 1650 | Anthony Ascham | English Council of State | Philip IV of Spain | 27 May 1650 |
| 27 May 1650 | George Fisher | English Council of State | Philip IV of Spain | 26 September 1651 |
| 1654 | Anglo-Spanish War (1654-1660) | English Council of State | Philip IV of Spain | 1660 |
| 20 February 1666 | Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich | Charles II of England | Charles II of Spain | 11 October 1668 |
| 26 February 1666 | Robert Southwell | Charles II of England | Charles II of Spain | 22 June 1666 |
| 10 July 1668 | Sir John Werden, 1st Baronet | Charles II of England | Charles II of Spain | 10 June 1668 |
| 10 July 1668 | William Godolphin | Charles II of England | Charles II of Spain | 10 June 1668 |
| 21 November 1671 | Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland | Charles II of England | Charles II of Spain | 20 May 1672 |
| 29 June 1677 | Ignatius White | Charles II of England | Charles II of Spain | October 1677 |
| 12 June 1679 | Sir Henry Goodricke, 2nd Baronet | Charles II of England | Charles II of Spain | 27 March 1683 |
| 10 December 1682 | Peter Lefett | Charles II of England | Charles II of Spain | 16 November 1685 |
| 13 May 1685 | Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath | Charles II of England | Charles II of Spain | December 1688 |
| 13 May 1685 | John Stafford | James II of England | Charles II of Spain | December 1688 |
| May 1689 | Viscount Dursley | Mary II of England | Charles II of Spain | August 1689 |
| 1689 | Alexander Stanhope | Mary II of England | Charles II of Spain | 1699 |
| 1699 | Francis Schonenberg | William III of England | Charles II of Spain | 1702 |
| 1702 | War of the Spanish Succession | William III of England | Philip V of Spain | 1702 |
| 1705 | Mitford Crowe | Anne, Queen of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1706 |
| 1705 | Paul Methuen | Anne, Queen of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1706 |
| 1706 | Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope (joint envoys) | Anne, Queen of Great Britain | Charles III of Hungary | {1707 {1710 |
| 1711 | John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll | Anne, Queen of Great Britain | Charles III of Hungary | 1712 |
| 1712 | Robert Sutton, 2nd Baron Lexinton | Anne, Queen of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1713 |
| 1713 | Robert Benson, 1st Baron Bingley | Anne, Queen of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1714 |
| 1714 | Paul Methuen | Anne, Queen of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1715 |
| 1715 | George Dodington, 1st Baron Melcombe | George I of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1717 |
| 1717 | John Chetwynd, 2nd Viscount Chetwynd | George I of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1718 |
| 1718 | War of the Quadruple Alliance | George I of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1720 |
| 1720 | Luke Schaub | George I of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1720 |
| 1720 | William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington | George I of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1727 |
| 1727 | Anglo-Spanish War (1727–29) | George I of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | |
| 1729 | Benjamin Keene | George II of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1739 |
| 1739 | War of Jenkins' Ear | George II of Great Britain | Philip V of Spain | 1748 |
| 1748 | Sir Benjamin Keene | George II of Great Britain | Ferdinand VI of Spain | 1757 |
| 1758 | George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol | George II of Great Britain | Ferdinand VI of Spain | 1761 |
| 1761 | Anglo-Spanish War (1761) | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | 1763 |
| 19 February 1763 | John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | |
| 1763 | William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | 1766 |
| 1766 | Sir James Gray, 2nd Baronet | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | 1769 |
| 1770 | George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | 1771 |
| 1771 | James Harris | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | |
| 1771 | Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | 1779 |
| 1779 | Anglo-Spanish War (1779-1783) | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | 1783 |
| 1783 | John Crichton-Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | |
| 1783 | Robert Liston | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | 1788 |
| 1784 | Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles III of Spain | 1785 |
| 1788 | William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles IV of Spain | 1790 |
| 1790 | Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles IV of Spain | 1794 |
| 1794 | Francis James Jackson | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles IV of Spain | 1795 |
| 1795 | John Crichton-Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles IV of Spain | 1796 |
| 1796 | | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles IV of Spain | 1802 |
| 1802 | John Hookham Frere | George III of the United Kingdom | Charles IV of Spain | 1804 |
| 1808 | Charles Stuart | George III of the United Kingdom | Ferdinand VII of Spain | 1808 |
| 1808 | John Hookham Frere | George III of the United Kingdom | Ferdinand VII of Spain | 1808 |
| 1809 | Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley | George III of the United Kingdom | Ferdinand VII of Spain | 1809 |
| 1810 | Henry Wellesley | George III of the United Kingdom | Ferdinand VII of Spain | 1821 |
| 1822 | William à Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury | George IV of the United Kingdom | Ferdinand VII of Spain | |
| 1825 | Frederick Lamb, 3rd Viscount Melbourne | George IV of the United Kingdom | Ferdinand VII of Spain | |
| 5 December 1827 | George Bosanquet | George IV of the United Kingdom | Ferdinand VII of Spain | 1830 |
| 1830 | Henry Unwin Addington | George IV of the United Kingdom | Ferdinand VII of Spain | 1833 |
| 1833 | George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon | William IV of the United Kingdom | Isabella II of Spain | 1839 |
| 1839 | George Jerningham | Queen Victoria | Isabella II of Spain | |
| 1840 | Sir Arthur Ingram Aston | Queen Victoria | Isabella II of Spain | 1843 |
| 1843 | George Jerningham | Queen Victoria | Isabella II of Spain | |
| 1844 | Henry Bulwer, 1st Baron Dalling and Bulwer | Queen Victoria | Isabella II of Spain | 19 May 1848 |
| 19 May 1848 | Revolutions of 1848 | Queen Victoria | Isabella II of Spain | 1850 |
| 1850 | John Hobart Caradoc, 2nd Baron Howden | Queen Victoria | Isabella II of Spain | |
| 1858 | Sir Andrew Buchanan, 1st Baronet | Queen Victoria | Isabella II of Spain | |
| 1860 | John Fiennes Twisleton Crampton | Queen Victoria | Isabella II of Spain | |
| 1869 | Austen Henry Layard | Queen Victoria | Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre | |
| 1878 | Sir Lionel Sackville-West | Queen Victoria | Alfonso XII of Spain | |
| 1881 | Robert Morier | Queen Victoria | Alfonso XII of Spain | |
| 1884 | Francis Clare Ford | Queen Victoria | Alfonso XII of Spain | 1887 |
| 1887 | Francis Clare Ford | Queen Victoria | Alfonso XIII of Spain | 1892 |
| 1892 | Henry Drummond Wolff | Queen Victoria | Alfonso XIII of Spain | 1900 |
| 1900 | Henry Mortimer Durand | Queen Victoria | Alfonso XIII of Spain | 1903 |
| 1903 | Edwin Henry Egerton | Edward VII | Alfonso XIII of Spain | 1904 |
| 1904 | Arthur Nicolson, 1st Baron Carnock | Edward VII | Alfonso XIII of Spain | 1905 |
| February 1906 | Maurice William Ernest de Bunsen | Edward VII | Alfonso XIII of Spain | 1913 |
| 1913 | Arthur Henry Hardinge | George V | Alfonso XIII of Spain | |
| 1919 | Esme Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Penrith | George V | Alfonso XIII of Spain | 1919 |
| 1924 | Sir Horace Rumbold, 9th Baronet | George V | Alfonso XIII of Spain | |
| 1928 | George Dixon Grahame | George V | Alfonso XIII of Spain | |
| 1935 | Henry Chilton | George V | Niceto Alcalá-Zamora | |
| 27 February 1939 | Maurice Peterson | George V | Francisco Franco | 1940 |
| 1940 | Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood | George VI | Francisco Franco | |
| 1945 | Sir Victor Mallet | George VI | Francisco Franco | |
| 1946 | Sir Douglas Howard | George VI | Francisco Franco | 1949 |
| 10 November 1949 | Robert Hankey, 2nd Baron Hankey | George VI | Francisco Franco | 1950 |
| 1951 | Sir John Balfour | George VI | Francisco Franco | 1954 |
| 1954 | Sir William Ivo Mallet | Elizabeth II | Francisco Franco | 1960 |
| 1960 | Sir George Labouchère | Elizabeth II | Francisco Franco | |
| 1966 | Sir Alan Meredith Williams | Elizabeth II | Francisco Franco | |
| 1969 | Sir John Russell | Elizabeth II | Francisco Franco | |
| 1974 | Sir Charles Wiggin | Elizabeth II | Francisco Franco | 1977 |
| 1977 | Sir Antony Acland | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain | |
| 1980 | Sir Richard Parsons | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain | |
| 1984 | Lord Nicholas Gordon-Lennox | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain | 1989 |
| 1989 | Sir Robin Fearn | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain | |
| 1994 | David Brighty | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain | |
| 1998 | Sir Peter Torry | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain | 1998 |
| 2003 | Sir Stephen Wright | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain | 2007 |
| 2007 | Dame Denise Holt | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain | 2009 |
| 2009 | Giles Paxman | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain | 2013 |
| 2013 | Simon Manley | Elizabeth II | Juan Carlos I of Spain King Felipe VI of Spain | 2019 |
| 2019 | Hugh Elliott | Elizabeth II Charles III | King Felipe VI of Spain | 2024 |
| 2024 | Sir Alex Ellis | Charles III | King Felipe VI of Spain | |