Francis Richards - Definition

Sir Francis Richards (1945 - ), KCMG CVO, was appointed Her Majesty's Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar in 2003.

He was born in 1945. His father, Sir Brooks Richards, served in Gibraltar with the Special Operations Executive during the war.

Educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, Sir Francis was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets, serving with the United Nations Force in Cyprus.

After Sir Francis' army career was cut short by injury, he entered the Diplomatic Service, serving in Moscow, Vienna, New Delhi and Namibia and holding a number of senior posts at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Sir Francis has been Director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham since 1998. He is married with two children and his hobbies include walking, travelling and riding.