Profiles

Hull is home to a dozen consulates. Most of these are staffed by honorary consuls, who combine the role of diplomat with another job.

One of these is Alan Taylor, who is Honorary Consul at the Royal Thai Consulate in Hessle. The role is unpaid; he receives a percentage of the fees for processing visas and other items.

Located in a modern building on a business park, the consulate is one of six in the UK. Although there is a relatively small local community of Thai expats, the consulate is one of the busiest in the country.

Its two primary roles are to issue visas for UK citizens travelling to Thailand and to represent the interests of the country and its nationals in the UK.

Alan Taylor

His family has a long history of representing Thailand. Sir James Bell, a local shipping owner was appointed the first consul in 1921. His brother succeeded him. Mr Taylor’s father, as the closest relative, took on the role in the early 1960s. The current consul took up his post in 1980.

Mr Taylor says he is hopeful that the family can carry on in the role. “It would be nice to think we could continue this tradition. I have a daughter who speaks fluent Thai, she works for a charitable trust which helps people in Thailand.”

The appointment process takes time. He applied at the same time as his father put forward his name. After scrutiny by the Thai government he was appointed by the King of Thailand and his details forwarded to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He was then accredited as a diplomat to the Court of St James by the Queen.

He says that having dual loyalties, as a British citizen and the Thai consul does not cause any problems. “Thailand is a well regarded country and good relations exist between Britain and Thailand.”