Few things are more carefully choreographed than diplomatic meetings. Whether it’s a special kind of handshake or a deliberately frosty reception to condemn some sort of international meddling or perceived slight, the moves representatives make in front of the world press are intended to have consequences. A state visit, for example — like the one that US President Donald Trump recently embarked upon with the UK — will likely take months of preparations to get right. Being in the room for these preparations is exhilarating: the arguments, the counterarguments, the considerations about how often a smile should be deployed, whether or not a joke will land — everything is up for debate.

Behind closed doors, things are very different. Each civil service uses roughly the same protocol for communication within its walls, and externally. Governed by memos, aide memoires, and note verbales, each document has a formal mechanism and meaning. While the content can vastly differ, there is one sacrosanct principle: everything is honestly written and is delivered in a secure and confidential manner. Everyone understands that what is said is not intended to go any further.

Questions abound about how it was possible UK ambassador Sir Kim Darroch’s comments about the Trump administration were leaked to the Mail on Sunday. The inevitable inquest will also need to address the question of why.

This will not be a civil servant seeking to illuminate a very difficult situation or to “blow a whistle” — the dysfunction of Trump’s White House is clear. Someone is seeking to score political points. But using the UK’s foreign relationships as chips within a domestic game is irresponsible in the extreme.

Leaking memos to the press seem to be the first foreign policy salvo of this contest – Jeremy Hunt heads the department, Boris Johnson headed it previously – so to what end was an ambassador deemed acceptable collateral damage to a fight?

Diplomacy is the dark art of knowing. Working out how best to achieve your objectives is at the heart of interfacing with another country’s political machine. The core principle of any civil servant is that they serve their political masters in a neutral, fastidious, and diligent manner. This is especially acute for those in the international arena, where trade deals and alliances are key. Get this wrong, and security issues come over the horizon. After that, start referencing the Geneva Convention. But what you say publicly isn’t what you say privately.

20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Show all 20 1 /20 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit An awkward greeting As the Queen welcomed Trump to Buckingham Palace, he shared an awkward handshake with her. PA 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit "Oi Trump" Essex teenager Ollie Nancarrow mowed this message to Trump in a field near Stansted airport, in order that the president would be forced to see it as he came in to land. BornEco 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit A warm welcome Protesters gesture at the helicopter carrying the president as he arrives at Buckingham Palace on the first day of his visit. Getty 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Inspecting the guard After arriving at Buckingham Palace, President Trump inspected an honour guard with Prince Charles. AP 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Khan hits back After the president insulted Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, over Twitter as he landed in Britain, Khan hit back in this video released by Elle. PA 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Mild reception on the Mall The Mall, the road leading to Buckingham Palace, was lacking in pomp as Trump arrived after his visit to Westminster Abbey, only a very small crowd turned out to see the spectacle. Reuters 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Toast with the Queen The president shared a toast with the Queen at the state banquet on his first night in Britain. Reuters 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Creepy kids This picture of Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, shared to Ivanka's Instagram, was described variously as "terrifying", like "nightmares" and "scarier than the shining." Getty 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Rolling out the red carpet A red carpet was rolled out for the president's arrival to 10 Downing Street. Reuters 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Meeting with May President Trump met with Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of his visit. They did not speak privately but in a boardroom meeting. Reuters 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Spouses get along First Lady Melania Trump and husband of the prime minister Philip May attended a garden party for the families of Downing Street staff while the two leaders were in their meeting. Getty 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Baby blimp flies again The famous Trump baby blimp made a return in the protests against the president's visit, after first appearing in July last year. EPA 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Crowd gathers A large crowd of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square in London to protest the president's visit. Notable protesters included a man selling Donald Trump toilet paper and a man dressed as Vladimir Putin controlling a Trump puppet. PA 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Protesters mix and mingle Supporters of the president and protesters of his visit clashed by Parliament Square on the second day of Trump's visit, with some supporters being hit by milkshakes. Reuters 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Toilet Trump A 20ft statue of Trump tweeting while sitting on a golden toilet was placed in Trafalgar Square as protesters gather on the second day of the president's visit. Tom Batchelor / The Independent 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Corbyn speaks In an address to protesters, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the president of spreading "hatred" and "racism" and expressed disappointment that Sadiq Khan had "been attacked in the way he was." PA 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Churchill hat During his interview with the president on Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan gave Trump a hat of a style favoured by Winston Churchill, one of Trump's heroes. ITV 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Bus stop baby Activists Special Patrol Group installed this poster in to several bus stops around Portsmouth ahead of the president's arrival for D-Day commemorations PA 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Fly-past with the queen President Trump watched the Red Arrows fly-past with the Queen at an event in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings AFP/Getty 20 pictures that sum up President Trump's visit Commemoration speech The president gave a speech at an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Along with Trump, the prime minister and the royal family, French president Emmanuel Macron and 300 Second World War veterans were in attendance. AFP/Getty

The US’s situation is plain for everyone to see. From being openly laughed at at the UN to bungled foreign policy initiatives, Trump’s administration is an incompetent mess — and describing it as otherwise would be a diplomatic failure of the highest order.

And yet the special relationship is more crucial than ever. America’s drones are being taken out of the air by the Revolutionary Guard; the war in Yemen shows no signs of calming down; Ebola is back with a vengeance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the UK, of course, desperately needs friends, especially after breaking up with 27 of its closest geographically.

International relationships are not built on history; they’re made between people. Thatcher and Reagan, Blair and Bush — sometimes the special relationship throws up some very predictable bedfellows; other times, very strange ones. It’s the ambassadors that put these relationships in motion. With unprecedented access to the highest echelons of a country, they help to build the foundations of an international relationship and prepare the heads of their own countries for what’s coming. Now a relationship has been smashed in full public view — it needs to be rebuilt, and quickly.

Sir Kim Darroch’s primary political master, Jeremy Hunt, tried to draw a line under the matter, apologising for the leak but not the content. This is a standard approach — offering a paper tiger of an apology, while attempting to save face — but it’s clear it has completely and utterly failed. Now President Trump is going on the Twitter offensive, as it’s his primary form of policy generation. He tweeted hours ago of Darroch that “he is not liked or well thought of in the US. We will no longer deal with him.”

It surely won’t be long before the UK’s ambassador stands down, calling time on a 30-plus year career of distinction, with the penultimate nail in the coffin being Theresa May’s noting her “full faith” in him. It will be an ignominious end for an ambassador who, quite frankly, was just doing his job.

By leaking to a pro-Boris paper, this may seem like an attempt support the aspirations of the blond one. It will provide a lot of intrigue; but behind the scenes, it is already causing major upset. Heads will roll — Darroch’s and the leaker’s will be the first — and I highly doubt that they will be the last.