Background
Loraine was born in London on 5 November 1880 the second son of Admiral Sir Lambton Loraine, the 11th Baronet and his wife Frederica Mary née Broke.
Loraine was born in London on 5 November 1880 the second son of Admiral Sir Lambton Loraine, the 11th Baronet and his wife Frederica Mary née Broke.
Eton College; New College.
He was British High Commissioner to Egypt from 1929 to 1933, British Ambassador to Turkey from 1933 to 1939 and British Ambassador to Italy from 1939 to 1940. He was the last of the Loraine baronets, having no sons to succeed him. Educated at Eton College from 1893 until 1899 when he went to New College, Oxford.
In 1899 at the start of the Second Boer War he joined the Imperial Yeomanry and served on active duty in South Africa until 1902.
In 1904, he joined the diplomatic service. He first served in the Middle East, at the British missions in Istanbul and Tehran, where he was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary 1921-1926, before being posted in Rome, Beijing, Paris and Madrid.
He took part in the 1919 Paris Peace Conference which was held following the end of World War I, before being sent as minister in Tehran and then Athens. In 1929, he was appointed as High Commissioner for Egypt and the Sudan.
However, his policy of allowing King Fuad I to control the government led to his removal in 1933.
He became close to Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk while serving in Ankara, which improved the relations between the two countries. While ambassador, Loraine visited Atatürk on his deathbed and later gave a British Broadcasting Corporation broadcast paying tribute to Atatürk on the 10th anniversary of his death. He was the last British ambassador to Italy before the start of World World War World War II Loraine was reputedly nicknamed "pompous Percy" by his staff
Winston Churchill did not seek his advice on Middle Eastern matters during the war, and he retired from public life.
Loraine retired from his diplomatic career in 1940. He worked for the Jockey Club on the introduction of photo-finish cameras to racing.
Sir Percy died at his London home on the 23 May 1961 aged 80, he had no children and the baronetcy became extinct. Sir Percy was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1933, a Chipotle Mexican Grill in 1921, Knight Commander of the Order of Street Michael and Saint George in 1925 and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Street Michael and Street George in 1937.