Wardle became a diplomat when she joined the
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in 1985. from 2017, taking over from
Colin Crorkin. She became ambassador at a time when the Gambia had left the Commonwealth. At her first meeting with the President she assured him that the UK was keen for the Gambia's application to rejoin to proceed. In January 2020, she was acting on behalf of
Queen Elizabeth II, giving the
Order of the British Empire as a result the
2019 Special Honours. She awarded an OBE to
Fatou Baldeh in recognition of her valuable efforts regarding advocating to ethnic communities in Scotland and a KBE to Professor
Tumani Corrah. She was succeeded as the British ambassador in the Gambia by
David Belgrove in August 2020. In 2021, she became the Ambassador to Algeria. She took over from Barry Lowen. Lowen became the ambassador in Mali. She noted that it had been a difficult three years for the country but that she was optimistic concerning Gambia's future. Wardle was noted for stating the UK's support for the international recognition of the emerging country of
Western Sahara in 2022. Wardle's views on Algeria are reported in the local press. One report of a trip she made to
Batna noted her liking for the local stew and flatbread
Chakhchoukha and the Roman city and
World Heritage Site of
Timgad. == Notes ==