FIRST WOMAN IN 45 YEARS TO HOLD PRESTIGIOUS POST U.S. AMBASSADOR JANE HARTLEY WELCOMES US TO THE HOUSE AND GROUNDS OF OFFICIAL RESIDENCE WINFIELD HOUSE IN LONDON

At the end of a winding driveway, two red, white and blue starspangled banners wave proudly in the breeze as HELLO! is exclusively invited into one of the most magnificent mansions in London: Winfield House, the official residence of the US ambassador to the UK and Court of St James's, Jane Hartley

- SALLY MORGAN

This 12-acre estate, hidden away behind tall metal gates and a perimeter of trees in Regent's Park, boasts the second-largest private garden in London (after Buckingham Palace) and is where, for seven decades, US Presidents including Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have stayed during trips to the UK.

When HELLO! follows in their footsteps across the marble threshold, we are warmly welcomed by the latest incumbent of the grade II-listed Georgian-style home, Ambassador Hartley, who took office on 27 May 2022.

ROYAL MEETINGS

"I feel so honoured to be in this role," she says, receiving us in the elegant Green Room. "It's certainly been an eventful year." The first woman in 45 years to be appointed to the position, Democrat Jane arrived at a pivotal moment in British history: within six months, she had not only met the Queen, but dined with the new King, too.

Recalling how she presented her credentials to Her Majesty live by video link from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle, she tells us: "I'll never forget those moments. She was an amazing woman and a role model to me. To see what she'd done in her life - how she was often the only woman at the table and her sense of duty and commitment - really touched me.

"She was still working two days before she died, which says so much about her and her commitment and love for this country." After the Queen's death, Jane joined President Biden and his wife Jill to pay her respects at the lying-in-state in Westminster Hall.

STERLING WORK

Then, in January, she was invited to a dinner hosted by the new King at Dumfries House, the Scottish estate that, as Prince of Wales, he helped purchase to regenerate the local economy through education and employment.