Steven Dick, 37, passed away in Hungary on Tuesday after testing positive for Covid-19 (Picture: Gov. UK)

A senior British diplomat has died after contracting coronavirus, the Foreign Office has said.

Steven Dick, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Budapest, 37, passed away in Hungary on Tuesday after testing positive for the virus.

In a statement, his parents Steven and Carol Dick described him as ‘a much-loved son, grandson and nephew’ who was ‘kind, funny and generous’.

They said: ‘It was always his dream to work for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and he was very happy representing our country overseas. We are devastated by his loss and ask for privacy at this tragic time.’


Mr Dick was Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Budapest (Picture: Antissimo/Wikimedia Commons)

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The Foreign Office said staff were ‘deeply saddened’ by the passing of Mr Dick.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was ‘desperately saddened’ by the news, describing Mr Dick as a ‘dedicated diplomat’ who had ‘represented his country with great skill and passion’.

He would ‘be missed by all those who knew him and worked with him’, he added.

UK ambassador to Hungary Iain Lindsay, who had worked with the diplomat since last October, said: ‘Steven was a dear colleague and friend who had made a tremendous impression in Hungary since his arrival last October with his personal warmth and his sheer professionalism, not least his excellent Hungarian.

‘We will miss him so much.’

There have been 226 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Hungary and 10 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

There are currently more than 441,000 cases across the world, with almost 20,000 deaths.

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