But the night of the British ambassador went very smoothly.

For the foreign powers, and particularly the British ambassador, the marriage was seen as positive.

He was the first British ambassador to have come from an ethnic minority.

The British ambassador glanced around the room, as though looking for their waiter.

He has also been the British ambassador to Japan, between 1992 and 1996.

"Any meeting I have with the British ambassador will all be about this case," he said.

The nine foreigners and the British ambassador sat still, waiting politely for me to go on.

"I don't know who you are, but the British Ambassador will hear about this."

After the performance, which lasted just over an hour, the British ambassador presented an elegant dinner.

He was the British ambassador to Paris from 1768 to 1772.