Born in
Reigate,
Surrey, the son of
Admiral Sir Arthur Palliser, he received his education at
Wellington College and
Merton College, Oxford. Appointed a
Second Lieutenant 21 November 1942, he served in the
Coldstream Guards during
World War II. In 1947, he joined the British Diplomatic Service and held a number of appointments at home and abroad including Head of the Policy Planning Staff, Private Secretary to the
prime minister,
Minister at the British Embassy in
Paris,
Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the European Communities, and, from 1975 to 1982,
Permanent Under-Secretary of State and Head of the Diplomatic Service. From April to July 1982, during the Falklands campaign, he served as Special Adviser to the Prime Minister in the Cabinet Office. He was appointed a member of the
Privy Council in 1983. That same year, he joined the board of the London investment bank
Samuel Montagu & Co., a subsidiary of the
Midland Bank, of which he became a deputy chairman. He was chairman of Samuel Montagu from 1984 to 1993, then vice chairman until his retirement in 1996. From 1983 to 1992, he was non-executive director of several industrial companies. From 1986 to 1994, he was a member of the board of the Royal
National Theatre. Sir Michael served on the faculty of many Salzburg Seminar Sessions.
Personal life In 1948, Sir Michael married Marie Marguerite Spaak, daughter of Belgian statesman
Paul-Henri Spaak. They had three sons:
Anthony, a painter, Peter, a screenwriter, and Nicholas, a communication executive consultant. ==Honours==