Britain’s ambassador to Nato, Angus Lapsley, sparked a major diplomatic row by bringing his Italian girlfriend into his official residence in Brussels. The woman, who is reportedly almost half her age, has been identified as intern Francesca Cortini. They met at NATO headquarters in Belgium. The couple have now started chatting away, and insiders have observed that they aren’t even trying to hide their relationship. Girlfriend attended Christmas and summer receptions. However, the official residence is not just for him. Britain’s luxurious official residence in Belgium is a converted five-story hotel and is also the residence of two other Brut ambassadors (to Belgium and to the European Union).Dame Caroline Wilson, the incoming British ambassador to the EU, who has yet to take up her post and visit the address, said it would be “inappropriate” for the pair to live together at the official residence. The relationship is considered so important that NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Admiral Sir Keith Blunt [in] According to reports, the most senior British officials in Europe and the alliance have been alerted.But the relationship would not cost Lapsley his posturing, as NATO policy does not prohibit relationships between senior officials and subordinates. Nato requires managers to declare any real or perceived conflicts of interest, and Lapsley made his boss aware of a relationship that began after he separated from his wife, Gina.Lapsley, a father-of-two with a reputation for crime, had his security clearance suspended after he left top-secret documents at a bus stop in Kent in 2021. The documents contain the location of British special forces in Kabul.Lapsley also left behind at least one personal diary, which led to then-Defense Secretary Ben Wallace later calling for his security clearance to be reconsidered. Lapus used his diary to express his dissatisfaction with the department and to write about his relationships with individuals.Dame Caroline Wilson, the incoming British ambassador to the EU, said it would be “inappropriate” for the pair to live together in their official residence.
