At the age of 24, he was appointed a paid
attaché to the Embassy of
Constantinople, where he remained for four years. He was then sent to Morocco to assist his father, who was serving there as Agent and Consul-General. Drummond Hay's diplomatic service in Morocco would continue for more than forty years, and would involve considerable personal initiative; he was able to exercise significant freedom of action and independence from bureaucratic and political control. Over his lengthy time in Morocco, he developed significant influence both with the Moroccan government and with the Moroccan public at large, aided by his facility for languages. In 1845, he acted as a mediator between Morocco and Denmark, Sweden, and Spain. In that capacity, he signed the convention which the Sultan concluded with the Court of Madrid. In 1856 he negotiated and signed the
Anglo-Moroccan Accords, a general treaty and a commercial convention with the Moroccan government. In 1861 he was promoted to the rank of Minister Resident. His further promotion to the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary took place in 1872, and to that of Envoy Extraordinary in 1880. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (GCMG) in 1884. In July 1886, he retired on a pension, and was sworn a
Privy Councillor. However, even in retirement, he continued to reside privately a great part of the year in Morocco, and continued to exercise significant influence there. ==Personal life==