THE Island's next Lieutenant Governor will be sworn in at Castle Rushen in April.

Adam Wood will be sworn in in a special ceremony which will be held on Thursday, April 7.

The ceremony will start at 11.15am following the arrival of the Lieutenant Governor designate in the Market Square at 11am. It is due to finish at around 12pm.

Mr Wood, who will succeed His Excellency Vice Admiral Sir Paul Haddacks, has recently retired from the British Diplomatic Service after a career in diplomacy and international development.

This culminated in the post of Africa Director at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where he advised the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary and managed the network of Britain's Embassies and High Commissions across Africa.

Between 2005 and 2008 he was British High Commissioner in Nairobi, Kenya, having previously served as High Commissioner in Kampala, Uganda.

Mr Wood, who was educated at Oxford and is married with one daughter, has also worked in Brussels, Bangkok and Washington.
 
The Lieutenant Governor is appointed by Her Majesty The Queen as the representative of the Crown in the Isle of Man.