Portsmouth Abbey School Announces 2012 Commencement Speaker

School Headmaster Dr. James DeVecchi has announced that General Lord Charles Guthrie, member of the House of Lords in the U.K. Parliament and former leader of Britain’s armed forces, will be the School’s 82nd Commencement Speaker.  This year’s Commencement will take place on Sunday, May 27.

“Portsmouth Abbey is delighted to welcome such an international dignitary as General Lord Guthrie as our Class of 2012 Commencement speaker,” said Dr. DeVecchi.  “As a friend, patron and the father of two graduates of Ampleforth Abbey, our fellow Catholic Benedictine school in England, Lord Guthrie is well acquainted with the culture of a Benedictine secondary School and our philosophy of education—a fact that was quite evident during his recent visit to our campus.  We look forward with great anticipation to Lord Guthrie’s sharing his vast experience and wisdom with the Abbey’s graduating class of 2012.”

General the Lord Charles Guthrie of Craigiebank, GCB, LVO, OBE, DL, was one of the most influential and distinguished members of the United Kingdom’s armed forces in the latter part of the 20^th century.  For 44 years, General Guthrie served in the British Army, rising through the ranks from the Welsh Guards to become the Chief of the General Staff and then Chief of the Defense Staff—the professional head of the British Army—a position he held from 1997 to 2001. In these capacities, he provided key strategic military advice to the British Government during the Bosnian and Kosovo wars.  He also served as Aide-de-Camp to the Queen and Colonel Commandant of the Intelligence Corps.

After retiring from the military in 2001, Guthrie was elected to the House of Lords in the U.K. Parliament.  He is currently Colonel-in-Chief of the Life Guards, Gold Stick (ceremonial personal bodyguard) to the Queen and Colonel Commandant of the SAS.

In addition to serving in the House of Lords, Lord Guthrie is a private consultant to corporations and heads of state around the world, is the president of several charities, is a visiting professor and honorary fellow of King’s College London University, and is a member of the Steering Committee of The Center for Strategic and International Studies, in Washington, D.C.  He is also a Knight of Malta. 

Lord Guthrie is the author of the book, Just War (Walker Books, 2007), which is read by Portsmouth Abbey’s Sixth Form Christian Doctrine class, War and Morality.

Portsmouth Abbey's 82nd Commencement exercises will take place Sunday, May 27, on the School's Holy Lawn at 11:30 a.m.