United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils bid an emotional farewell during her final King’s Birthday Party, expressing deep gratitude for four years of service and affection for a country that, she says, changed her life.
“Serving as the UK’s Ambassador to the Philippines has been one of the greatest honors of my life and most rewarding chapters of my career,” she told an audience of diplomats, lawmakers, and civil society leaders.
She said she considers it an “immense privilege to witness first-hand the warmth, generosity, and vibrant spirit of the Filipino people as I zig-zagged across the country. From Batanes to Cotabato, from Tondo to Makati, from Father Villanueva’s Church to the corridors of the Senate, the people of the Philippines have touched me.”
“This country, with its rich and colorful history and culture, its resilience and fire, its fiestas and meriendas, its deep sense of community has become a second home to my family and me. Your warmth, generosity, hospitality have captured our hearts but also made us grow,” she added.
Beaufils, who will be succeeded by Sarah Hulton OBE by September 2025, shared how Filipino values have transformed her. “The words bayanihan, malasakit, pakikipagkapwa-tao, utang ng loob, paggalang—these were just words when I learned Tagalog four years ago. But now they have come to life, and they are values that I admire and aspire to in my own life.”
With sincerity and humor, she thanked government partners, business sponsors, her embassy team, and her family. “None of what we have accomplished would have been possible without [my team]… Their talent is second to none.”
Her closing remarks were heartfelt and poetic: “Shakespeare said, ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow.’ Pero talaga, walang sweetness para sa akin! Pero umalis ako na ang puso ko ay puno ng napakaraming alaala… While I may no longer be the UK ambassador to the Philippines, I will forever be an ambassador for the Philippines.” Veronica Uy
