He joined
Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service in 1962. Figgis' first overseas posting was as
3rd Secretary in
Belgrade in 1963. In 1965 he was assigned to the
Commonwealth Office in
London. He was
2nd Secretary (Political Residency) in
Bahrain from 1968 to 1970, when he returned to the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Figgis' next posting was as
1st Secretary (Commercial) in
Madrid, where he was stationed 1971 to 1974. He was in the
CSCE delegation at
Geneva 1974 to 1975 and again at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London 1975 to 1979. He returned to Madrid in 1979, initially as
Head of Chancery and then as Commercial Counsellor from 1980 to 1982. Figgis was assigned to Belgrade again in 1982, when he was made Counsellor, a post he held until 1985. From 1986 to 1988, Figgis was Head of the East European Department of the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He was then Counsellor and Head of
Chancery in
Bonn from 1988 to 1989. He was subsequently Director of Research, and then of Research and Analysis, at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1989 to 1991. From 1991 to 1996, Figgis was Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Her Majesty's Vice-
Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps. He is a patron of
Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB), a charity dedicated to reuniting children who have been separated from their families. == Awards and decorations ==